


until we go down

by tigermochaeyu



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-06-21 12:44:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15557964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigermochaeyu/pseuds/tigermochaeyu
Summary: fate born from flames





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was just supposed to be a self indulgent oneshot of mochaeyu as benders but nooooo. @galaxylove (tiffatologist on twitter) got me excited with worldbuilding and now i have at least one more chapter for this planned so thank her for ruining me

Chaeyoung sits atop her home overlooking the village, eyes watching the horizon tentatively for any disturbances. The nearby river trickles calmly, the sound reaching her ears and setting a gentle mood for the early morning sunrise. She had never been one to sleep through the night, always waking up too early for her own good, and today is no exception.

 

She only allows herself to descend from her perch once the sun peeks its way above the tree line, falling to the ground below with a gentle thud before re-entering her home. She throws her jacket off on top of the shoes she never wears, humming contently as she throws herself into bed once again.

 

“Mm.. up so early again?” A voice asks beside her, a hand running through her long locks, and Chaeyoung merely melts at the touch. She can never resist the featherlight touch of Momo’s fingers, even if she tries.

 

“Couldn’t sleep,” Chaeyoung mutters against the older girl’s chest, snuggling closer into their grasp. “Never can when one of you are gone.”

 

Momo hums above her, her fingers tracing gently up and down Chaeyoung’s spine to bring a sense of calm to her body. It works wonders. “She’ll be back once the sun rises, you know that.”

 

“I know, but I still worry,” Chaeyoung confesses, her arms wrapping tightly around Momo’s waist as she finally relaxes. Momo understands, because they both share the same fears. The journey has to be made by one of them at least once a week, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t clutched by fear no matter how many times they’ve made the trek to the village.

 

A knock on the door startles them both before they can fall asleep, and Chaeyoung’s brows furrow as she looks to the older girl. Momo matches her expression, shrugging in confusion as they both jump to their feet. Momo grabs her staff, holding it behind her in case anything goes south for them, and Chaeyoung makes her way to the door.

 

However, when she sees what’s waiting behind it, her lips break into a smile.

 

“Miss me?” Tzuyu smirks as she walks inside, her once empty pack now full of supplies that they will need for the week. Chaeyoung giggles as she throws herself at the taller girl, wrapping around her tightly in the still open doorway. The shortest girl only smiles harder when she feels Momo press behind her, arms wrapping around both Chaeyoung and Tzuyu protectively.

 

“Always do,” Chaeyoung mutters against Tzuyu’s chest, breathing in her scent to remind herself that she’s here, that she’s safe. She can feel Momo chuckle against her back more than she can hear it, and it only makes her smile wider. “Did you get everything?”

 

“If by ‘everything’ you mean the inkwell you asked for? Then yes, I did,” Tzuyu smiles softly as she pulls the ink from her pack, handing it to Chaeyoung with a gentleness only Tzuyu can attain. Chaeyoung smiles as they pull apart, thanking her quietly before placing it among her piles of blank scrolls and brushes.

 

“Do we know of any patrols coming today?” Momo asks softly as she dresses, her loose trousers and sleeveless yellow top accentuating her figure and build. Chaeyoung allows her eyes to wander for a brief moment before walking to their desk, checking the makeshift schedule they had made from observing the Fire Nation patrols over the last two years.

 

“I don’t see anything for a while,” Chaeyoung speaks up after a few moments of looking through her notes. She shakes her head slightly before adding, “But the Fire Nation has been getting more and more bold as the seasons pass, we never know what will happen.”

 

A heavy weight sets between them as they reflect upon the gravity of Chaeyoung’s words. The Fire Nation has only increased their push onto the Earth Kingdom ever since the disappearance of the Avatar. Ten years of silence from the Spirit World, ten years of hopelessness. With Fire Lord Sozin only increasing the powers of his armies and the number of colonies in the Earth Kingdom, it was easy for the people to lose hope.

 

It was a series of unfortunate events that had brought the three of them together like this. Momo had run from the Western Air Temple, from customs she had not wanted to follow and the possibility of becoming something more than she had wanted to be. Tzuyu and her family were cornered by the fire nation as they left the Northern Water Tribe, and Tzuyu had unfortunately been the only survivor of the attack.

 

Chaeyoung had left Makapu Village in a storm of anger and distrust, her future being foretold elsewhere but her parents forbidding her to leave and discover it. It had turned out that she was destined for more because she was an earthbender born to non-bending parents, and was filled with even more rage that they would hide that fact from her.

 

The earthbender had found Tzuyu as she travelled north, offering her solace and protection as they journeyed northwest together. They had found Momo along the riverbank, fending off five Fire Nation soldiers on her own, and the pair had jumped in immediately to help.

 

The three of them ended up journeying to the nearby village where Momo was attacked, and fended off the onslaught of Fire Nation soldiers from the village. Chaeyoung had almost killed one of them when she had realized that they were attacking a village of non-benders, but Momo had quickly stopped her before she made a decision she would regret.

 

Ever since, the three of them have been living upon a hill overlooking Gongahn Village, silently patrolling and being sure to be alert if any Fire Nation scum try to attack the village under their protection again.

 

“Well, we better get to work then,” Momo says in a determined tone, diffusing the worried silence between them. Tzuyu rolls her eyes but smiles, follows a more than excited Chaeyoung out the door of their home and towards the riverbank.

 

-

 

It’s unsurprising, when their trip to the river becomes a training session between Chaeyoung and Momo. Tzuyu wades in the shallow water, using it to keep herself cool as the image of the two women’s strong muscles embed themselves into her mind. As an earthbender, Chaeyoung is naturally built, as an unnatural amount of strength is necessary to lift and carve the earth from the ground. Momo is incredibly muscular for an airbender, yet she still possesses an uncanny amount of grace as her body moves, the air moving around with her.

 

“Tzuyu,” Momo’s voice pulls her from her thoughts, and her eyes shoot from her chiseled abdominal muscles to her face, a soft hum of acknowledgment leaving her lips. She can see Chaeyoung smirking in her peripherals, and Momo is clearly trying to hold back a laugh.

 

“What?” Tzuyu asks, a bit harsher than intended. It only makes them giggle more.

 

“You’re looking a bit _wavy_ ,” Chaeyoung snorts, and it’s only then that Tzuyu realizes she’s been subconsciously creating pulses of waves around her. She huffs, making the water settle calmly into the river, and before the laugh threatening to burst from Momo’s lips can make it’s way into the air, she bends the water at her feet, pulling her face first into the river.

 

Chaeyoung hunches over, laughter spilling from her lips as Momo resurfaces, gasping for air and glaring at the waterbender. “Oh you’re _dead_ , Chou Tzuyu!”

 

It becomes an all out brawl, Tzuyu yelping as she stands only to be whisked off of her feet by a gust of air. She catches herself in the water, moving her arms fluidly before blasting Momo with a stream of water. Chaeyoung laughs louder, and Tzuyu’s eyes lock onto her.

 

“Oh don’t think you’re getting out of this!” Tzuyu grins, freezing Chaeyoung’s feet in the river.

 

“What gives!” Chaeyoung whines, Momo laughing at her before she’s hit with another stream of water. Chaeyoung breaks her feet out of the water and stands at Momo’s side, looking to where Tzuyu has surrounded herself with tentacles of water, her hands moving constantly to keep the octopus’s form.

 

“Bring it on!” She challenges them playfully. Momo and Chaeyoung grin, Chaeyoung taking a more sturdy formation as Momo forms an air ball, the two of them heading towards Tzuyu with all they’ve got-

 

A nearby explosion stops their childish game immediately. The water falls around Tzuyu back into the river as she turns around, a cloud of fire and smoke rising over the hill. Her eyes immediately look to Momo and Chaeyoung, the earthbender already running to the shore to put her shirt back on.

 

“The village is under attack!” She shouts, and that’s all it takes to snap Tzuyu and Momo out of their shocked mindsets, following the shortest to the shore and back towards their home for their gear.

 

-

 

Momo is the first to the village, hovering down on her glider to land one of the roofs of the taller homes. She scans the village for any fire nation soldiers, her confusion only growing as she sees not a single red and black uniform marching through the streets. Her brow furrows, leaping quietly to the next rooftop to try and get a better look at the burning gate. Thankfully none of the citizens are in the streets, hopefully hiding in their homes or nearby shops to stay out of sight.

 

“I can’t believe we were sent to this _garbage heap_ of a village,” Momo hears a woman say from near the gate. She lays down against the rooftop, hoping to stay hidden from sight as she pulls the black cloth hanging from around her neck up to cover her face. “I can’t believe Fire Lord Sozin even sent us here.”

 

“Apparently, the armies that were supposed to take this village for the Fire Nation couldn’t handle it,” another woman says in a very bored tone. Momo slowly creeps over the top of the roof to gain a good look at the two women speaking and-

 

Oh no.

 

A red sash drapes across the chest plate of the taller woman, and golden licks of fire have been embedded across her armor as well. The shorter woman wears simpler robes, though no less important, with a golden sash sewn into the neck of her armor.

 

Momo sneaks off as they bicker, returning to where Chaeyoung and Tzuyu wait at the far corner of the village. Chaeyoung’s eyes widen as Momo rounds the corner, softening when she realizes it’s just the airbender, and Tzuyu is about to ask what’s going on when Momo cuts her off.

 

“They sent a general,” Momo huffs softly, trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. “An admiral and a general.”

 

“They sent _what?!”_ Chaeyoung whisper-shouts, Tzuyu quickly clapping a hand over her mouth before they attract attention.

 

“They must see us as a legitimate threat, but why would the Fire Lord personally send them _?_ ” Tzuyu wonders aloud, Chaeyoung pulling her hand from her mouth to ask, “How many soldiers are there?”

 

“None, just the general and the admiral.”

 

The shortest hums in surprise, and wordlessly pulls her own black cloth up to cover her face, Tzuyu following suit. The three of them make their way through the village, Momo back on the rooftops while Chaeyoung heads for the west end and Tzuyu heads for the east. Momo keeps a lookout for the two firebending women, noticing they’ve worked their way further into the village as they’ve bickered.

 

“-just saying, can’t you be a little more excited? We’re going to take out these rebels and be revered by the Fire Lord,” the taller woman, the admiral, asks the other woman.

 

“It’s not like we can get a promotion, we’re already at the top,” the shorter woman, the general, sighs apathetically. A beat passes before she speaks again, much quieter than before, “But I will admit, it’s nice to finally spend some time together.”

 

Momo continues to listen to them speak, noticing Tzuyu at the other end of the street hidden in an alleyway. Tzuyu nods to her, Momo nodding back, and not a moment later does Chaeyoung emerge from the alley beneath Momo, stomping the ground and carving rocks from the earth. She leaps into the air, kicking the rocks with a brute force only Chaeyoung possesses, and Momo watches them fly towards the Fire Nation women-

 

Only to watch the admiral cut the rock headed straight towards her in half with a searing hot blade made of pure fire.

 

The rock falls behind her in pieces, the general merely leaping over the rocks thrown her way as though she could care less. Chaeyoung stands in the street, chest heaving with anger and exertion, as Momo and Tzuyu watch from the shadows, making sure no harm comes to their earthbender.

 

“Is this it?” The admiral laughs in disbelief as she stares at Chaeyoung from down the street. “A tiny earthbender is what’s taking our soldiers down?”

 

“Who you calling tiny?” Chaeyoung shouts back, clearly agitated. “You’re probably the shortest Fire Nation soldiers I’ve ever seen!”

 

“Calling us soldiers is like calling a mountain a rock,” the taller firebender scoffs, standing straight and tossing her long, raven hair over her shoulder. It’s a picturesque sight, how her hair flows, and Momo would probably be jealous if the woman wasn’t trying to kill them for this village. “You’re speaking to Admiral Im and General Myoui, the ones who will be bringing this petty rebellion to it’s knees.”

 

There’s a terse, powerful silence emanating from the two women, broken only by the sound of Chaeyoung scoffing. The sound sets something off in Admiral Im, her eyebrow twitching irritably, and Momo has to restrain herself from laughing at the sight.

 

“That’s the worst entrance I’ve ever seen,” Chaeyoung chastises them, and Momo knows exactly what she’s doing, rising to the balls of her feet in anticipation. “ _This_ is how you make an entrance.”

 

In the blink of an eye Tzuyu rushes out from the alleyway, leaping forwards and rolling back up onto her feet, standing right beside Chaeyoung. Momo leaps down from the rooftop, landing gracefully beside the two as she twirls her staff and stands in a defensive position.

 

The two women look surprised for the briefest of moments, before schooling their features and standing in defensive positions as well. “Now _this_ is more like it,” Admiral Im says with a smirk, and both sides rush one another, starting the chaos.

 

Momo and Tzuyu split off immediately for Myoui, assuming that her quiet nature hides raw power like Tzuyu’s does. They’re unfortunately correct, as the general moves with an elegance that rivals Momo’s and dexterity beyond comparison as she throws fire at them in quick and precise succession. Chaeyoung takes the Admiral head on, an immediate battle of power and brute force for the upper hand.

 

Momo and Tzuyu move complimentary to one another, Tzuyu purposely throwing a large ball of water from the nearby well at Mina’s first direct attack, creating a layer of steam around them that’s nearly impossible to see through. Tzuyu can hear the General curse silently as she and Momo sneak through the steam, their feet light and soft against the ground. Once Tzuyu is close, she dissipates the thick cloud around them, coming face to face with the general herself.

 

“I think you’ve made a mistake,” Myoui smirks, hand filling with hot flame as she keeps her focus on Tzuyu. The waterbender grins back, loves how the firebender’s smirk falters.

 

“I don’t make mistakes,” Tzuyu chuckles, and before the general can even question what she means, a large gust of wind knocks her feet out from behind, landing on her back with a thud.

 

Meanwhile, Chaeyoung has risen several pillars of stone from the ground, creating a maze-like space between her and the admiral. She chuckles from the nearby rooftop, watching the woman struggle to find her among the tall stones.

 

“Come out and make this easier for us _both!_ ” Her words are accented by a powerful blast of fire, no doubt suspecting that Chaeyoung was hiding where she stands. Her frustrations grow more clear with each passing second; the way her hair stands out, the way her breathing becomes more labored, how Chaeyoung can feel the heat of her flame from where she’s perched.

 

She’s getting mad, and Chaeyoung loves it.

 

She can see Tzuyu and Momo fighting General Myoui with little struggle, their contrasting elements doing wonders against the firebender’s flames. The general moves quick though, an agility that rivals Momo’s, but the woman can’t fly like the airbender can, and Chaeyoung finds herself smiling proudly at the two women she fights beside.

 

“Where are you?!” Admiral Im shouts, clearly frustrated beyond belief, and Chaeyoung knows it’s her time. She leaps down to the ground on the far side away from the woman, takes a strong stance and a deep breath. As her eyes open, she quickly brings her arms up in front of her, spreading her firsts upward in a definitive motion before opening her palms and bringing them back together. The stone’s she’s pulled from the ground rise and slam together, a yelp of surprise followed by one of pain sounding from within the crushed rubble.

 

She chuckles slightly, turning to where Tzuyu and Momo have General Myoui pinned in a corner, keeping her attention on them.

 

An angry shout alerts her of the admiral’s presence, looking to see her crawl out from the rubble. She’s absolutely disheveled, uniform slightly tattered, and nothing put pure rage written across her face. She stands, albeit a bit wobbly, and points defiantly at Chaeyoung.

 

“ _You_.”

 

She takes a step forward, chest heaving and hands filling with fire as she does. “I have spent _years_ getting to where I am. I have taken down entire villages singlehandedly. I am Im Nayeon, in charge of the _entire_ Fire Nation Navy!” Chaeyoung’s eyes widen as her voice gets louder, stepping back slightly as she watches the fire in Nayeon’s hand change colors, from a warm red and orange to a cold blue and white. “And I will _not_ be defeated by some insignificant earthbender!”

 

It happens almost in slow motion, as Chaeyoung watches the fist covered in blue fire barrel towards her head. She manages to move just in time to only feel the heat on her face, but the flame burns through the black cloth on her shoulder, searing her skin as Nayeon’s fist connects and sends her flying backwards.

 

“Chaeng!” Momo shouts from the other side of the street, whacking General Myoui upside the head with her staff before running for the earthbender. Nayeon is still walking towards her, eyes filled with a dangerous amount of anger and hands still filled with blue flame.

 

“You are _nothing!_ ” Nayeon shouts, shooting a burst of fire at her feet, and Chaeyoung just barely manages to scramble back enough to be missed.

 

Momo appears suddenly between Chaeyoung and Nayeon, defending the shorter girl with everything she has while Tzuyu comes by her side after trapping the general under a thick layer of ice. “Are you okay?” She asks, helping Chaeyoung to her feet.

 

“Fine, the pain hasn’t settled in yet,” Chaeyoung grunts, strengthens her stance and steps forward before kicking into the air, sending a small pillar of earth out from beneath Nayeon’s feet. The woman takes the movement in stride, flipping backwards and landing gracefully before sending another ball of flame towards them, one that Momo easily deflects with her staff.

 

“Be careful,” Tzuyu warns the shortest, Chaeyoung nodding as she moves up beside Momo and helps her push Nayeon back, out of the street and towards the entrance to the village. Despite the pain starting to pulse from her shoulder and through her arm and chest, Chaeyoung pushes on, and notices how Tzuyu does the same with General Myoui in her peripherals, the woman having burned her way out of the ice.

 

Unintentionally, as they press them further out of the village, Tzuyu manages a hard hit to the general’s face, and Chaeyoung can see the panic alight in Nayeon’s eyes.

 

“Mina!” The admiral moves to stand in front of her partner, fire burning with a newfound energy as she shouts, “Stay back!”

 

“We don’t want to hurt you!” Chaeyoung shouts back, flanked by Momo and Tzuyu. Mina, the general, rises to her feet, but Nayeon refuses to move away from in front of her. Refuses to stand down. “We only want to protect this village!”

 

“These people are peaceful and have no desire of any kind to fight! Whether it be for you or against you!” Momo adds, and she can see how Nayeon begins to deflate.

 

“Leave us alone, or we will not hold back,” Tzuyu finishes, and her firm yet calm voice seems to be the final blow. Nayeon sighs, the flames in her hands expelling, and Mina grabs onto her shoulder pleadingly. Nayeon looks back at the general, eyes soft when she sees the plea in the woman’s own, before turning back to the three benders at the village entrance.

 

“This is not the last you will hear from us,” she says sternly, turning and walking away with Mina by her side.

 

It isn’t until they’re far into the horizon that Chaeyoung lets herself breathe, lets herself feel the pain in her shoulder, crying out and falling to her knees as her brain finally registers it. Tzuyu catches her before she falls flat on her face, looking up at Momo with worried eyes.

 

“We need to get her to the river, _now_.”

 

-

 

The sun lowers over the horizon as they reach the river once again. Momo has Chaeyoung in her arms, curled up against her chest as she whimpers out in pain. The oldest whispers quiet words of reassurance in her ear, letting her know that they’re almost there, and they’re going to take care of her as soon as they get to the river.

 

Tzuyu wades into the shallow water immediately, not giving a damn about her clothes at the moment, and gestures for Momo to lay Chaeyoung into the water as well. Momo sits down in the river, holding Chaeyoung in her lap so she doesn’t sink too deep or float away with the current, and the earthbender sighs in relief at the cool water that hits her skin.

 

Tzuyu gets to work quickly, bending a small amount of water and settling it on the burn, the liquid glowing a bright blue as she begins healing the wound to the best of her ability. Momo cards her fingers through Chaeyoung’s hair, humming softly to keep her calm and relaxed while Tzuyu does her magic.

 

“Thank you guys,” Chaeyoung mutters after a long stretch of silence, a hint of guilt in her tone. Momo can see her fingers fiddling together beneath the water’s surface, a nervous tick of hers that she had learned when they first met. Wordlessly, Momo grabs for one of her hands, pulling it above the surface to press a gentle kiss to her palm.

 

“Anything for you,” Momo hums, holds Chaeyoung’s hand against her own cheek and caresses the back of the earthbender’s hand with her thumb. Chaeyoung’s hands have always been calloused, years of bending the earth toughening the once soft skin, yet they’re still incredibly gentle when it comes to Momo and Tzuyu, and the airbender appreciates it more than the shortest will ever know.

 

Tzuyu sighs softly as she lets the water fall back into the river, the angry red burn gone but a residual scar left behind; one that crawls up her shoulder and wraps around the back of her neck. The waterbender had no idea how much the burn had spread beneath Chaeyoung’s clothes, and feels relief flood her system that they reached the river before the pain had become unbearable for the other girl.

 

Without warning, Tzuyu punches Chaeyoung’s good shoulder.

 

“Hey what gi-“ Chaeyoung tries to complain, but Tzuyu’s grabs a fistful of her wet shirt and pulls her slightly out of the water, taking her breath away with a bruising kiss. Momo chuckles from behind Chaeyoung, pressing another soft kiss to the shortest’s palm.

 

“You’re such a fool sometimes, Son Chaeyoung,” Tzuyu mutters, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of her lips as she lets the earthbender fall back into Momo’s lap. “We love you, so you better be more cautious in the future.”

 

“You got it, boss,” Chaeyoung chuckles, flipping her hand to hold Momo’s own rather than her face, squeezing it softly. They remain like that until the sun falls, wading in the water and pressing soft kisses against whichever body parts they can reach, basking in each other’s presence after a risky fight with fate. It’s peaceful, wholesome, nothing that any of them would ever wish to change.

 

-

 

Flames dance in front of Nayeon’s face, her knees hurting from how long she’s been kneeled between the pillars of the Fire Lord’s throne room, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. She had taken Mina to the infirmary immediately, promised her she would handle the report herself as long as Mina promised a strong recovery, and hid her limp as she made her way to the throne room.

 

“What is the status of the village?” Fire Lord Sozin asks monotonously, facing away from Nayeon and towards the flames lining his throne. Nayeon gulps quietly, takes a deep shaky breath- “Well?”

 

“The village remains under radical control,” Nayeon reports quietly, flinching at how the flames around Sozin’s throne grow in his anger. Before he can reprimand her for her failure, she speaks out of turn. “What is the significance of such a small village to the Fire Nation? I’ve seen it with my own eyes and it contains nothing-“

 

“ _Silence_ ,” Fire Lord Sozin commands, the flames growing with his tone of voice, and Nayeon holds back her flinch because she _knows_ his eyes are on her now. She can hear his steps come closer until he’s stood right in front of her, and only then does she lift her eyes to his. “I sent you on a mission with _one_ request: obtain control over Gongahn Village. A simple mission my two best officials could not even accomplish.”

 

She tries to hide the fear that fills her body when his hand fills with flames, keeping as still as possible as not to invoke any more of his wrath. But it’s a futile effort as he raises his hand, his pupils reflecting the fire as he growls, “You will pay for your insolence.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm seeing Beyoncé tonight so have an update <3

Mina had worried when Nayeon didn’t return to the infirmary immediately, the nagging sense of something being wrong as time passed causing her to get off the cot she had been laid on all day and make her way through the halls of the palace. She knows, from memory and her own experience, exactly where Nayeon is.

 

She hears it as she gets closer, the telltale grunts of someone overexerting themselves, someone in pain, and knows without a shadow of a doubt that it’s Nayeon. She’s nearing the training room within the palace barracks, knows no one in their right mind would be here so late at night. The exact reason Nayeon is here.

 

Mina leans against the entrance to the training room, watches Nayeon punch the dummy like a real enemy, with force fueled by anger and self-hatred. Mina’s known the admiral for too long, knows what makes her tick because they’re one in the same. Two girls who were forced to join the Fire Nation militia and had too much pride to stay within the ranks. Rose together, led together, lost together.

 

“Why didn’t you come back?” Mina asks softly, no hint of malice in her tone. Nayeon doesn’t stop, Mina doesn’t try to make her. Not yet at least. She knows the other girl needs this.

 

But she keeps going, ignores standard reps and pushes her body harder than she should. Mina notices she’s changed, a new jacket wrapped around her torso to replace the tattered one from the fight, yet she can still see the muscles in her back straining, notices how her left hand shakes significantly more than the right, notices her chest rising and falling too quickly.

 

“Nayeon,” she tries again, getting no response. Worry fills her chest as she rounds the room to stand beside the older girl-

 

“I’m fine, leave me alone,” Nayeon mutters between punches. Mina watches her wince every time she punches with her left fist, notices her favoring her right side a lot more than usual. Her worry builds.

 

“If you’re fine then stop for five seconds and look at me,” Mina demands quietly, knows after years of experience that her soft and calm tone is much more threatening than when she’s loud. She watches Nayeon’s hard resolve falter slightly, her movements lose their edge for the briefest of moments before returning to full force.

 

Mina can’t stop the irritation that rises in her throat, grabbing Nayeon by the arm and turning her towards her. “Nayeon _stop-_ “

 

_“What?”_ Nayeon shouts in Mina’s face, and while the younger girl knows she means nothing by it, that she’s just frustrated, it still just barely manages to hurt. She can tell Nayeon regrets it by the way her face falls, by the way the fire in her eyes dies down significantly. “Mina I..”

 

The general doesn’t pay attention to what she says, eyes trained on the irritated skin peeking out from beneath Nayeon’s collar. She can hear Nayeon’s voice falter at the edge of her focus as Mina’s hand reaches out to grab at the hem of her coat, pulling it down despite Nayeon’s urgent protests and-

 

_Oh._

 

“Mina it’s not-“

 

“Nayeon..” Mina breathes out, her name almost a plea on the younger girl’s lips. Nayeon sighs, looks down the ground in shame, anywhere but the pitiful eyes of the general in front of her. She can hear Mina’s breath stutter, flinches when her fingers touch the edge of the wound, waits for the words she’s been waiting to hear from the younger girl.

 

“This is too far.” The words fall from Mina’s lips in a hushed whisper, and Nayeon’s eyes snap up to hers. Those weren’t the words she was expecting, and she definitely wasn’t expecting the glistening in the general’s eyes. So she tears away from her grip abruptly, turning to face the other wall.

 

“This is what I deserve,” Nayeon says monotonously, fists clenching tight to keep herself calm. But it isn’t working, the panic crawling up her throat like a vice, and she wonders when it will take hold.

 

“What you _deserve?_ Because we couldn’t get a small, useless village?” Mina is in absolute disbelief, it’s evident in her tone of voice. Nayeon wishes she could help her understand but her chest feels too tight and she doesn’t know what to do.

 

“I’m supposed to be the best!” She shouts to the ground, eyes tightly shut to hold the tears at bay. A useless attempt once Mina’s hand rests gently on her good shoulder, her walls crumbling. “I’m Admiral Im! I’m in command of the entire Fire Nation Navy and I can’t even defeat a barely trained earthbender!”

 

“Nayeon,” Mina’s voice is soft in her ear, but she’s too far gone.

 

“I _cannot_ fail, Mina!” Nayeon’s muscles tense as she loses herself to her emotions, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I cannot go back to nothing!”

 

“Nayeon!”

 

Mina’s voice pulls her from her spiral, if only slightly, her soft hand turning the older girl around until Nayeon is facing her, can see the worry etched in her features. It makes her feel worse, worrying the only person in this world she’s ever cared about. Her chest feels tighter with each useless breath, and her head feels too hazy.

 

Mina notices, pulls Nayeon down to her knees and follows her to the ground. Mina’s left hand wraps around the back of her neck, the side not marred by the fires of her failures, while her right cups Nayeon’s cheek as gently as possible. “Nayeon look at me, breathe with me.”

 

“I-I can’t! I-I can’t b-breathe-“

 

Mina pulls her closer, pressing her forehead against Nayeon’s own, and the gentleness of the action startles the older girl enough to stop focusing on herself. She hears Mina tell her to breathe with her again, can feel her breath against her face coaxing her into a steady inhale and exhale. She focuses on other things than herself, like the feeling of Mina’s hands on her neck and cheek, their knees pressed together, the sweet nothings being spilled into the small space between them.

 

It isn’t until Nayeon has calmed down, noticing for the first time the moisture on her cheeks, that Mina speaks again.

 

“This isn’t okay,” she says quietly, shaking her head against Nayeon’s. “He.. he can’t just do this to you.”

 

“He’s the Fire Lord, he can do whatever he sees fit,” Nayeon mutters quietly.

 

“But you’re more than just a soldier,” Mina stresses her words with a thumb tracing the skin of Nayeon’s cheek. “You’re more than just a title, more than just a rank. We _both_ are.” She pauses slightly, her breath shaking as it leaves her lips as she finishes, “We’re more than what they’ve made us.”

 

“Mina..” Nayeon trails off, swallows thickly as she continues. “Mina without my rank I am nothing. I have _nothing_ without my title.”

 

“You have me.”

 

Mina’s voice is so soft, Nayeon would have missed her words had she not been attuned to listening to the younger girl over the years. It takes a few moments for Nayeon to realize that she’s right, that no matter what has happened to her over the last five years, she’s never once not had Mina by her side. No matter what she gains, no matter what she’s lost, Mina has been by her side, ready to fight for her and defend her until her last breath.

 

Nayeon pulls back, just enough to tilt her head up, enough to plant her lips against the younger girl’s forehead. “I do. I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

 

“I understand where you’re coming from,” Mina hums, her eyes fluttering shut at the feeling of lips on her skin. “But we can’t let this continue. We can’t stay where our lives are threatened by petty failures.”

 

“But where would we even go, Mina?” Nayeon asks with a sigh, pulling back to look at the general directly. “We would be hunted by our own people, only to be brought back at the feet of Fire Lord Sozin. The Fire Nation has eyes and ears everywhere throughout all of the four nations.”

 

Mina presses her lips together slightly, and Nayeon knows that she’s not going to like whatever comes out of her mouth.

 

“Not everywhere.”

 

-

 

Momo subconsciously smiles as she hears the sound of Tzuyu and Chaeyoung’s voices coming up the hill. She leaps from the bed, landing light on her feet before sprinting out of their home, smiling even wider at the sight of the two women. Tzuyu sees her first, smiles softly at the airbender as they make their way closer. Chaeyoung grins, face shining as bright as the sun when she sees Momo, and runs towards her excitedly.  
  
“Hey there cub,” Momo giggles when Chaeyoung sets down the baskets in hand before leaping into Momo’s arms and wrapping herself around the airbender’s torso. Tzuyu shakes her head at the two of them, places her baskets onto the ground and wraps herself around Chaeyoung’s back and holds onto Momo as well. They sit like that for a moment, basking in the evening sun and each other, before Momo breaks the silence.   
  
“How did the clean-up go?”   
  
“All the fires are put out thanks to this one,” Chaeyoung hums, gesturing to Tzuyu behind her. “I cleared the rubble and filled the holes in the ground. Thankfully none of the homes and shops were damaged.”   
  
“Our friends sent their thanks with us,” Tzuyu mutters, and Momo looks over their shoulders to see the baskets they brought are filled with bread, vegetables, fish, and herbs. The oldest chuckles softly, and presses her cheek against the top of Chaeyoung’s head as she mutters, “Remind me to head down there and thank them tomorrow.”   
  
“Will do, but for now let’s eat before I die,” Chaeyoung whines.   
  
“You’re such an overdramatic baby sometimes,” Tzuyu rolls her eyes playfully.   
  
“Hey, you might be the youngest but _I’m_ the baby, okay?”   
  
\-   
  
It takes another day for Momo to get down to the village. Had she not been so worried about Chaeyoung’s wound, despite knowing that Tzuyu had taken care of it to the best of her ability and would continue to do so should it become worse again, she would have went earlier. But she stayed close to Chaeyoung’s side, cuddled against her and helping her with anything she may have needed.

She smiles as the aura sounds of the village reaches her. The scents from the market, the sounds of children playing in the streets, the quiet hum of people talking to one another. It’s a soothing energy, yet it revitalizes her all the same as she makes her way through the street, her staff clutched loosely in hand. 

“Momo! Momo!” The kids shout as she makes her way towards them, all of them scrambling towards her and jumping around her feet. She laughs happily at them, ruffling some of the kids’ hair as she says her hellos.   
  
“Have you guys seen my friends?” Momo asks, squatting down so that she’s eye level with the children.   
  
“They’re in the marketplace yelling about something,” Haru, one of the younger village girls, makes as a funny face as she answers. Momo smiles, ruffles the hair on the top of her head as she thanks her, and promises the kids she’ll play with them on the way home. They all shout ‘goodbye’s and ‘see you later’s to Momo, and she tries to hide the grin that splits her face but ultimately fails.   
  
She reaches the large building in the center of the village and takes a deep breath, letting the fresh scents invade her nose and the loud, bustling noises flood her ears. She’s learned the layout of the marketplace over the years, so navigation isn’t too hard, but the people of the village have come to adore Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and herself. They greet Momo with kind smiles and small talk, the airbender taking her time to speak to anyone who gives her their time. She makes sure to stop by the far wall, greeting Grandma Yoo with a warm smile and catching her up on her adventures with the other two girls.   
  
She understands what Haru was talking about when she walks towards her friends, hearing a loud commotion the closer she gets to the back of the building. As she catches what’s being said, an amused smile spreads on her lips, and she shakes her head at their ridiculousness.   
  
“Dahyun, no one needs this many cabbages. Ever.”   
  
“Hey, for all you know this could end up being a successful business!”

 

“Can you guys ever stop arguing for like, ten minutes?” Momo asks with a chuckle as she approaches her friends. Dahyun looks to her first, a wide and happy smile spreading across her face before she crosses the rest of the distance between them to wrap her arms around the airbender in a tight hug.

 

“Momo! We missed you so much!” The girl hums against her chest as she hugs her.

 

“Speak for yourself. I could’ve spent another day without seeing her,” the tallest of Momo’s friends, Jeongyeon, smirks as she approaches Dahyun’s side. Despite her jest, she still wraps her arms around the two friends, initiating a group hug.

 

“If y’all don’t save some room for me, we’re gonna have some choice words,” the three of them hear before another body slams into them. Momo takes the force in stride, laughing as she moves her arm from around Jeongyeon to the newcomer.

 

“Good to see you, Jihyo,” Momo smiles, tousling the younger girl’s hair playfully. Jihyo gives Momo a faux glare before a smile eventually breaks out onto her own face, unable to contain her joy at seeing the airbender for the first time in a while.

 

The world around them ceases to exist for a few moments; the sights and sounds and smells meaning nothing to the four friends basking in the presence of one another. Momo hums contently as she pulls back, getting a good look at her friends before asking the first question that had come to mind upon her arrival.

 

“Dahyun, why do you have so many cabbages all the time?”

 

“It’s a _business!_ ” She exclaims, Momo and Jihyo laughing at her frustrated huff while Jeongyeon just runs a hand through her long, black hair with a dopey smile on her face.

 

“You guys constantly tease Dahyun, yet she has more money than any of us,” Jeongyeon points out, Jihyo rolling her eyes playfully while Momo replies, “I don’t need money to keep this village safe.”

 

“You need money to eat though,” Dahyun giggles.

 

“You guys pay us in food for protecting you, I literally don’t need money ever,” Momo exaggerates, causing the three of her friends to laugh heartily once again. “But speaking of money, where’s that big shot girlfriend of yours, Jihyo?”

 

“She sent me a letter the other day. She should be coming home in the next week, actually,” Jihyo beams, smile brighter than the sun could ever dream of being. “The circus is fun but she misses us a lot.”

 

“You mean she misses _you_ a lot,” Jeongyeon smirks.

 

“I swear if your grandmother wasn’t the most revered elder in this village, I would hire Chaeyoung to put you in the ground. _Literally_.”

 

Momo can already tell that if they’re not stopped, Jeongyeon and Jihyo will argue until the sun sets, so she quickly steps in. “So Jeongyeon, how’s the family restaurant?”

 

The effect is instantaneous, Jeongyeon’s eyes lighting up excitedly as her mind wanders to her family. “It’s great actually! The donations that the village gives us helps us feed everyone without worrying about cost. We haven’t had to worry about anyone not getting fed in months!”

 

“That’s what I like to hear,” Momo smiles at the older girl. “I assume the most donations come from our little block of tofu here?”

 

“Lord knows she has enough cabbages-”

 

“Will you be _quiet?_ ”

 

Dahyun and Jihyo start bickering once again, and Jeongyeon can only chuckle as she rolls her eyes. Momo smiles warmly at them, never in her life imagining she would be anywhere outside of the Western Air Temple, let alone in a village with three crazy women she gets to call her friends-

 

Her internal monologue is interrupted by a loud squeal and the rapidly approaching sound of stomping feet. Her body is immediately on high alert, looking through the crowd for any sort of threat to the village, but her scouting does her no good when a body runs straight past her. The squeal that reaches her is ear-piercing, followed by a dull thud and the sound of someone getting the wind knocked out of them.

 

Momo looks down quickly, twirling her staff into a defensive position and standing at the ready should she need to defend her friends, but her muscles relax immediately when she recognized the mass of brown hair and limbs piled on top of Jihyo, the pink clothes giving it away more than anything.

 

“Wh- _Sana?_ ”

 

“Surprise! I’m home early!” The girl yells excitedly before planting a no-doubt long awaited kiss onto Jihyo’s lips. Momo smiles tenderly at her friends, glad to see Sana again and definitely glad to see Jihyo so happy, but the soft moment is interrupted shortly after by the sound of retching.

 

“Yoo Jeongyeon can’t you let me have _one moment_ of joy?” Jihyo shouts angrily, Jeongyeon laughing at her before Dahyun punches her in the arm. Jeongyeon yelps in pain, but gets no sympathy from the younger girl nor any of her other friends. It takes a moment but Sana finally climbs to her feet, pulling Jihyo up with her and placing a dramatic kiss on the shorter girl’s cheek.

 

“I wasn’t expecting you until the end of the week at least, but I’m not complaining at all,” Jihyo smiles at the older girl in her arms. “How long do I have you for this time?”

 

“Uh.. how about indefinitely?” Sana asks nervously, rubbing the back of neck to try and calm her anxiety as she looks at Jihyo with hopeful eyes that the woman before her won’t destroy her for dropping this on her so suddenly.

 

Jihyo brows bunch together in confusion, head tilted to the side like a polar bear dog. Momo can tell Sana is assuming the worst by the way her posture changes, but Jihyo just curiously asks, “What happened to the circus?”

 

The question causes Sana to sigh softly. The circus was a cover name for an underground encampment for war torn refugees and those who lost everything and had nowhere else to go. Sana had been one of the people to help create it, the group taking in as many as they could wherever they got the chance.

 

“I love it and I love everyone there but it just..” Sana trails off, brow furrowed as she searches for the right words. “It just isn’t my place anymore.”

 

Jihyo hums softly, pulling Sana a bit closer to her and gently removing the hair falling in the taller girl’s face. “No longer a lost misfit then?” She asks quietly, a hint of teasing and a hint of hope in her voice.

 

Momo understands why.

 

Sana had lost her home not too ago when the Fire Nation raided her village, laying waste to everything she had ever known. An action done in a spiteful fit of rage by the Fire Lord when he discovered the village had been granting safe harbour to refugees fleeing the wartorn outskirts of the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens who wanted no part in the war. She had been separated from her family in the chaos, unable to do anything other than watch helplessly as Fire Nation soldiers set her home alight before running for her life.

 

Ever since, the girl had been terrified of calling any place a home, lest the Fire Nation rip it out from underneath her once again. She would visit Gongahn a few times a year, just to see Jihyo and her friends, but never had any intention of staying or leaving the circus.

 

“I think.. I think I’m ready to belong somewhere. Even if I am a little scared,” Sana said with an air of pride, a small but confident smile on her face. She gestures to Momo, soft smile stretching out her chubby cheeks, “Plus, I think this place is pretty well protected.”

 

The five friends laugh loudly together, temporarily disturbing the marketplace aura around them as eyes watch their happiness curiously. Momo couldn’t care less, it had been a good while since she had enjoyed time with her friends and damn if anyone around her makes her feel like less of a person for being happy.

 

Jihyo places a chaste kiss on Sana’s lips, the latter humming happily into the kiss. Momo pulls Sana away from the younger girl before they could get any more indecent and wraps her arms around the girl in a tight hug.

 

“Welcome home, Sana.”

 

“It’s good to hear that,” Sana blushes shyly as she pulls away. Whatever words were about to fall from her lips are snuffed out by two pairs of arms wrapping around her, squeezing her tightly. Sana giggles loudly when she recognizes Jeongyeon and Dahyun around her, and only hugs them back tighter.

 

“We’re glad to have you,” Jeongyeon hums. Momo smirks, knowing the taller girl doesn’t get soft very often. Sana must be having a field day with-

 

“Wait, did you say ‘we’?” Sana yanks herself out of their grasp to look urgently between Jeongyeon and Dahyun’s eyes. Dahyun’s brows furrow slightly, but Jeongyeon looks as pale as the girl beside her. “You’re finally together?!”

 

“Yeah!” Dahyun beams, eyes creasing with happiness. “For a couple moons now. Jeong asked after the last time you left.”

 

Sana’s eyes bore into Jeongyeon’s, the taller girl gulping nervously. “So you gave her the letter?”

 

“What letter-“ Dahyun tries to ask, face contorted in confusion, but Jeongyeon quickly cuts her off. “Nope I just.. finally asked.”

 

“But the letter was so cute!-“

 

“What letter?” Dahyun asks a bit louder, staring between Jeongyeon and Sana. Jihyo’s moved to stand beside Momo at this point, the two of them chuckling beside one another as they watch the interaction silently.

 

“Jeongyeonie wrote this _adorable_ letter for you about how much she likes you and-“

 

“Let’s not? Talk about it?” Jeongyeon cuts Sana off loudly, but Dahyun shakes her head amusedly.

 

“Nope, now I _have_ to know about it.”

 

The three continue to bicker obnoxiously, and Momo can’t help but shake her head with a laugh. She turns to Jihyo with an amused smile, “I’m going to head back before they try and fight each other. Let them know Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, and I will be back so they can say hi to Sana, okay?”

 

“Of course,” Jihyo’s smile is nothing but kind as she nods, wraps Momo in a tight hug before sending her off. The airbender looks over her shoulder one more time to see Jihyo physically restraining Jeongyeon and laughs loudly, turning on her heel to go say hi to the kids before she heads home.

 

-

 

Chaeyoung hums softly from her place on the floor, watching Tzuyu prod at the logs in the fireplace to keep the flame alive. The sound of rain fills her ears aside from the occasional crackle of burning wood, and it’s times like these that she appreciates the small moments of peace the three of them can find. Between the last week of patrolling and helping out villagers in need after the last attack, they’ve barely gotten to sit down and spend a moment together. It’s nice, they deserve this.

 

Momo plops down on the ground beside Chaeyoung, handing Tzuyu a large pot that the taller girl hangs over the flame. She moves her hands through the air smoothly as she bends water from a nearby basin into the pot, then stands to gather the ingredients she’ll need for their dinner. The oldest girl drops her head onto Chaeyoung’s shoulder, the shortest girl combing her fingers through her hair to soothe her mind.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Chaeyoung asks the oldest quietly, resting her head on top of Momo’s own as she continues to play with her hair.

 

“Nothing just.. Appreciating this,” Momo hums, eyes closed and content as Tzuyu comes back with a plate of prepared fish, adding it to the now boiling water and seasoning the stew appropriately. Coming from different backgrounds meant a wide variety of food, and they had taken to rotating who cooked every other day so to not dull their taste buds to the same constant foods.

 

Chaeyoung had asked Momo when they had first met why she was eating meat if the Air Nomads were vegetarians. She’ll never forget the way the oldest girl looked at her as she took a big bite of Tzuyu’s fish stew and muttered under her breath, “That was one of the biggest reasons I left.”

 

It doesn’t take long for the stew to finish, Tzuyu smiling as she hands to other two girls bowls filled with warm sustenance. They sit in a circle eating together, listening as the rain pounds against the roof over their heads and smiling at one another occasionally. It’s just as Chaeyoung is about to finish her first bowl that she hears it.

 

A weak knock on their door.

 

Momo’s brows furrow as she looks between Tzuyu and Chaeyoung. The looks on their faces make it clear that they’re as baffled as she is. A subtle nod from Momo and the three of them stand, Momo making her way to the door with Chaeyoung behind her. Chaeyoung is still a bit weak from the tendril like burn stretching down her neck, and Momo refuses to let her stand in front should anything happen.

 

Tzuyu tosses Momo her staff that was laid against the desk overflowing with parchment, and she holds it defensively as she slowly opens the door.

 

She would have expected anything on the other side of that door. One of their friends pranking them, a case of paranoia causing them all to _think_ they heard a knock on the door, even the damn Fire Lord would have been more predictable.

 

Not General Myoui and Admiral Im.

 

Nayeon, if Momo remembers the admiral’s name correctly, looks terrible. Eyes barely open, arm wrapped around the general’s shoulder as her head lulls forwards every few moments. There’s a nasty looking burn mark on her shoulder, the edges of the affected area looking sore and yellow, as though beginning to become infected. The general doesn’t look much better; eyes hollow from lack of sleep, skin pale, both of them drenched in rain.

 

Mina lifts her eyes from the ground, chest heaving with the effort to breathe as she meets Momo’s gaze. Momo remembers fighting these two, and they had never been so challenged by two Fire Nation soldiers when defending the village.

 

But now? Momo can’t even seem to find a single trace of the two proud women she fought in the weak girls she sees in front of her now.

 

Mina’s lips tremble as they open, her eyes filled with desperation as a single word falls from her mouth in a weak whisper.

 

_“ Please .”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on twitter @tigermochaeyu :)


	3. Chapter 3

Silence hangs in the air between the five women, save for the sound of rain pounding against the earth. Droplets of water trickle down Mina and Nayeon’s faces as they shake from the cold, and Chaeyoung honestly cannot tell if the water on their cheeks is rain or tears.

 

Probably both.

 

Every instinct in the earthbender’s body is screaming at her to fight, to throw them out of their sights and move on with their lives. They come to the village and create a mess all in the name of the Fire Lord, and they expect help from the three of them? The wound on Chaeyoung’s shoulder tingles slightly, the memory of the Admiral searing her skin as though she was cooking meat still fresh in her mind. She feels nothing but disdain for them.

 

Should feel nothing but disdain for the two of them.

 

But a part of her, the humane part of her, feels only pity. Mina’s muscles look like they might give out at any moment, and Nayeon looks like she’s barely a few seconds from slipping into unconsciousness. Chaeyoung’s eyes trail to the angry red mark peeking out from beneath Nayeon’s soaked clothes, and subconsciously goes to reach for her own wound.

 

“You’ve got a  _ lot  _ of nerve coming here,” Momo speaks monotonously, something the earthbender knows she does when she’s furious but trying to hide it. Mina seems to understand too, flinches at the words like an abused animal. Chaeyoung wonders if that’s really all that the Fire Nation soldiers are to the Fire Lord; animals.

 

“W-We have nowhere else to go,” Mina’s voice is but a whisper, barely reaching their ears over the relentless storm. Momo raises an eyebrow, arms crossing across her torso almost judgmentally, and Tzuyu finally makes her presence known.

 

“For Spirits sake, Momo. They’re  _ injured _ .”

 

Without another word, Tzuyu brushes past Chaeyoung and Momo. Goes to pull Nayeon from Mina’s grasp but hesitates when the general’s eyes widen, fear flashing within them as she pulls Nayeon away from the waterbender’s impending grasp. Tzuyu understands, slowly reaches out her hands until Mina realizes that she only wants to help, and the firebender slowly but surely let’s Tzuyu take Nayeon into her arms.

 

Tzuyu wastes no time bringing Nayeon into the house, laying her down by the fire and removing her soaked top to get a better look at the wound. Her hardened features falter slightly when she notices that the wound is a searing burn, wonders what must have happened for her to earn this, before bending some water from the nearby basin and begins healing the wound.

 

Chaeyoung watches with soft eyes, turns back to the doorway to see Mina curled in on herself, still stood in the pouring rain as she shivers for some kind of warmth. She watches Momo’s shoulders relax slightly, probably out of pity, before gesturing for Mina to join them inside as well. Mina lets out a breathless ‘thank you’ before entering the home and sitting down by the fire as well. The airbender makes eye contact with Chaeyoung before grabbing her cloak, heading outside and shutting the door behind her, no doubt checking the premises for hidden dangers.

 

The earthbender’s eyes trail back inside, landing on the shivering Fire Nation General once more before a soft sigh exits her lungs. Soft steps carry her to their wardrobe, gathering clothes from Momo’s drawer (because Spirits know the firebenders won’t fit in  _ her _ clothes) and bringing a pair to the general. Mina’s eyes lift up to hers in shock, Chaeyoung can see the fear still shining in them, and careful hands place the dry clothes into the firebender’s own.

 

“There’s a screen in the corner by the bed. Get changed so you don’t catch a cold,” Chaeyoung says in her most gentle voice as not to scare Mina any more than she already is. The girl nods her head shakily, and Chaeyoung already can tell her muscles are too weak to stand on her own, so she offers a hand to help lift the other girl. A silent nod is all the earthbender receives as Mina walks behind the screen.

 

Chaeyoung takes the few steps to Tzuyu and Nayeon, setting the dry clothes on the floor next to the barely conscious girl laid there. She and Tzuyu make eye contact, a silent conversation that ensures Chaeyoung that the waterbender will help Nayeon into dry clothes once she’s tended to her wound. Satisfied, Chaeyoung makes to stand when a weak hand wraps itself around her wrist.

 

Eyes look down to Nayeon’s, whose own eyes are trained on her exposed shoulder. On the burn curled up the left side of her neck. The wound tingles again under her gaze, but Chaeyoung ignores it.

 

“I’m sorry..” Nayeon’s voice is weak, broken from what was no doubt a long journey without food, water, or rest. “I’m so sorry..”

 

Chaeyoung says nothing, lips pursed together as she gives a single nod of her head to the firebender. Accepting the minute gesture, she falls limp to the floor once again, allowing Tzuyu to continue her healing routine. Chaeyoung stands quietly, makes her way to grab two empty bowls then back to the fire, fills the bowls with Tzuyu’s stew. Mina comes back in brown and yellow clothes, still curled in on herself but more from fear and less from cold, and takes her seat by the fire once more.

 

“Here, eat,” Chaeyoung commands softly, placing the bowl in the general’s shaky hands. Mina looks  from the bowl in her hands up to Chaeyoung’s eyes slowly, lips parted in surprise.

 

“I.. thank you.”

 

“You’ll need your strength for when Momo returns,” Chaeyoung says quietly, and as though her words were a command, the airbender opens the door to their home swiftly, ridding herself of her cloak before shutting the door once more.

 

“No one else is here, so why are you?” Momo asks the moment she stands in front of Mina, knowing Nayeon is too weak to answer questions.

 

“Momo, let her eat,” Chaeyoung coaxes softly, hand slipping into the airbender’s own. Her touch placates the older girl if only slightly, a grunt slipping past her lips as Chaeyoung pulls her across their small home into a small nook where they keep various supplies.

 

“They’re here for something, I  _ know  _ it,” Momo whispers harshly once their in the small space.

 

“Yeah, to not  _ die  _ at this point,” Chaeyoung speaks in a low voice, knows fighting Momo’s frustration with her own is only a recipe for disaster. “Nayeon can barely hold her own head up and Mina’s eyes are so sunk into her skull I can tell she hasn’t slept in  _ days _ .”

 

Momo softens when she realizes the earthbender is right, sighing as she relaxes her shoulders. Chaeyoung smiles up at her for a brief moment, closing the small space between them to place a gentle kiss to the airbender’s lips.

 

“We trust Tzuyu’s judgement for letting them into our home, and we’ll ask questions once Mina’s been fed enough to not look like skin and bones, okay?” Chaeyoung asks, breath hitting Momo’s skin, and she earns a nod and another press of lips against her own. The earthbender pulls them out of the nook quietly, the pair sitting down by the fire side by side as Chaeyoung rests her head against Momo’s left shoulder.

 

She can feel Mina’s eyes on them from the opposite side of Momo, but chooses to ignore it. The crackling of wood and the patter of rain fills the air once more, save for the flow of water between Tzuyu’s hands, and the silence provides a brief respite. A moment for the five of them to be at peace despite the situation.

 

Clay placed against wood disturbs the silence as Mina puts her now empty bowl against the ground, Chaeyoung paying the sound no mind-

 

“We ran.”

 

Three pairs of eyes turn to the Fire Nation General, her own eyes trained on the folded hands in her lap, twirling her fingers together nervously. No one says another word, just a patient silence that allows for Mina to collect her thoughts.

 

“After we tried to seize your village for the Fire Lord and failed, we returned back to the Royal Palace to deliver the news of our failure. Nayeon forced me to go to the infirmary, ironic considering she had been more injured than myself,” Mina chuckles humorlessly at the thought. “She had delivered the news to the Fire Lord himself, alone.”

 

Mina’s eyes trail up from her lap to the firebender across the room, eyes shut and breathing slowly returning to normal as Tzuyu continues to heal her. Her eyes lock onto the burn on Nayeon’s shoulder, and Chaeyoung feels her own burn tingle once again. “He was.. less than pleased.”

 

“He branded me a failure,” Nayeon speaks suddenly, almost causing Tzuyu to drop the water between her hands from shock. Her eyes flutter open slowly, trained on the ceiling as she continues. “He branded me a failure and I let him, because I was trained half of my life to obey whatever he commanded.”

 

Mina’s eyes fall downcast again, and Chaeyoung hates how she can relate to the firebender laying on the ground. Hates how she understands what it’s like to have your free will controlled and manipulated. Her parents may not have been as..  _ malicious  _ as the Fire Lord, but she understands what it’s like to be treated like an animal in a cage.

 

She hates that she can relate to someone she sees as an enemy.

 

“I have had my fair share of mistreatment since the Fire Nation declares its war on the other nations, but none have made me so.. angry and helpless,” Mina explains. Momo wonders just how much the woman cares for Nayeon. Wonders how close they are for her to care that deeply about a punishment that wasn’t even hers. “So we grabbed what little things we had and ran.”

 

“Why did you come here?” Momo asks the question she’s wanted to know since they’ve arrived. Mina has the decency to look guilty, lips pursed as she plays with her fingers again.

 

“The Fire Nation have eyes and ears everywhere right now. Even if they’re not in control of a city state, they have agents within them. Nowhere anywhere near the Fire Nation is safe. Except.. except here.”

 

“Because of us,” Momo states simply. “Because of us rebels guarding this ‘garbage heap of a village’.”

 

“I can’t change our actions or our words,” Mina sighs quietly, curls further into herself. “I only ask for time to rest. Once Nayeon is back on her feet, we’ll head west and never return. We just.. we  _ can’t  _ go back there.”

 

“You said yourself that the Fire Nation has eyes and ears everywhere,” Tzuyu interjects suddenly. “What makes you think that you’ll be safe going west?  _ Especially _ in Fire Nation uniforms?”

 

“I never said it would be safe,” Mina answered simply. “But even death would be a better alternative to the things they’ve done to me. Things they’ve done to Nayeon.”

 

Tzuyu hums, bending the water in her hands back into the basin before rising to her feet. “Can you feed her?” She asks Mina, gesturing to the firebender at her feet.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Then give us a moment. If you pull anything, I won’t hesitate to let Momo loose on you,” Tzuyu points warningly at the girl sat by the fire. Mina nods, no trace of malice in her eyes as she rises to her feet to move beside Nayeon. Tzuyu gestures for Chaeyoung and Momo to follow her outside, the two scrambling to their feet as they walk out the door and into the stormy night.

 

Tzuyu bends the rain around them, creating a dry bubble of water that encompasses them as they walk further out. Once at a comfortable distance, Chaeyoung spreads her stance and thrusts her fists up, bending the earth around them to create a cover so that Tzuyu can relax. Once safe from the onslaught of rain, the waterbender turns to them.

 

“What should we do?”

 

“They tried to kill us, I say we kick them out,” Momo states simply, residual anger from the fight that hurt Chaeyoung still brewing in her chest.

 

“Momo I know you’re mad, but we can’t do that. You see how bad Nayeon looks, she can barely lift her head on her own,” Chaeyoung says quietly, can’t even believe the words coming out of her mouth. It looks as though the other two can’t believe her either.

 

“Even after they hurt you, you want to help them?” Momo asks, her tone laced with genuine curiosity. Chaeyoung only nods, can’t bring herself to say the words but knowing in her heart it’s the right thing to do.

 

“They’re deserters. They’ll be branded as traitors to the Fire Nation and either kidnapped or killed on sight once word gets out to the other colonies,” Tzuyu mutters solemnly, the severity of her words resounding through Momo and Chaeyoung’s hearts and minds. Chaeyoung may not like them, but she would never wish such a cruel fate on anyone. Not even her enemies.

 

“We should offer to let them stay-“

 

“Are you insane?” Momo hisses in disbelief. “We might be able to understand their situations but what about the villagers? They’ll never be able to leave the mountain without fearing for their lives from not only the Fire Nation, but all of Gongahn!”

 

“If you would have let me finish, I was going to say we offer to let them stay on one condition,” Tzuyu places a gentle hand on Momo’s shoulder, trying to coax the girl into a more calm state of mind. Chaeyoung slips her hand into the airbender’s own, and their touch grounds her back to reality. She takes a deep breath, a long exhale, before nodding once, signaling for Tzuyu to continue.

 

“We bring them to Grandma Yoo, let her decide whether they stay or not,” Tzuyu says, and the other two can’t help but agree. The only person whose word is respected in Gongahn is Grandma Yoo’s, and if she says that they’re allowed to stay, then no one would question their presence in the village.

 

“Are we in agreement then?” Tzuyu asks, earning quiet yes’s from the girls in front of her. She wraps her arms around their shoulders, the three of them holding onto one another for a long, quiet moment, embracing the peace they have with each other beneath the rain before making their way back to their home.

 

Mina is still sat beside Nayeon, placing a gentle kiss to the admiral’s forehead as they walk in the door. She looks almost afraid of their judgement when they walk in, but none of them bat an eyelash at the display of affection. Instead they move to sit by the fire once again, Momo’s eyes on the general’s as Chaeyoung’s head rests on her shoulder once more.

 

“Rest well, because tomorrow we take you to the woman who will decide your fate in this village.”

 

-

 

It begins with hushed whispers, the judgement of a crowd. The eyes of a few will see something new, something different, and will begin to whisper words of confusion and curiosity to those nearby. The whispers create a ripple effect, and suddenly all eyes are on them.

 

Tzuyu’s always hated the whispers.

 

But who can blame the crowd, when between their three protectors are the two people who tried to overtake the village from them? When their protectors are walking them through the crowd like friend and not foe?

 

All activities have ceased, whispers still rippling through the crowd as Tzuyu and Momo walk on either side of Mina and Nayeon, Chaeyoung trailed behind them should they try to do anything uncalled for. Chaeyoung doubts they would; their shoulders are too tense and their heads are hung low, the shame and judgement of the village weighing down on them like stones. The crowd parts for the group of five, whispers wondering if their protectors kidnapped them, if they gave up the fight, if they failed the fight.

 

They enter the marketplace relatively quickly. The whispers have already reached inside, eyes already watching them as they walk through the large building, guiding the firebenders to their destination. It’s not long until they’ve reached it, standing at the feet of Grandma Yoo and her rocking chair.

 

“Hello dearies,” Grandma Yoo smiles softly. Chaeyoung catches the disbelieving looks of their friends in the corner of her eyes. Jeongyeon is mouthing something to her but she’s not in any position to try and understand, to make it look like she’s not in control of the situation. Dahyun is clung nervously to Jeongyeon’s arm, Jihyo is stood beside the pair with her arms crossed, eyes squinted as though she’s looking for some hidden meaning, and Sana looks like she might puke or throw a fist. 

 

Chaeyoung isn’t sure which one she’d prefer.

 

“How can I help you ladies today?” Grandma Yoo asks, eyes scanning over the five of them before landing on Tzuyu, who looks the most prepared to speak. The crowd falls silent, waiting to hear what is happening, waiting to judge.

 

“We have.. a predicament,” she says after a slight pause, trying to find the right words to describe the situation. Grandma Yoo nods for her to continue. “The two firebenders that attacked the village some days ago are here with us. They’ve.. abandoned the Fire Nation, and have become traitors to the throne in an effort to escape with their lives.”

 

“Cut the details, Tzuyu,” Momo says softly, before turning to Grandma Yoo. “There’s nowhere in the world safe for them except here. They want to stay.”

 

A sharp gasp of surprise ripples through the crowd, murmurs following of speculations and opinions that neither of the three girls care about. It’s obvious Nayeon and Mina do, judging by the way the flinch at the sounds.

 

“Come here, dearies,” Grandma Yoo commands with a gentle wave of a wrinkled hand, Mina and Nayeon exchanging a glance before doing as they’re asked, stepping closer and kneeling at the elderly woman’s feet. “Now, explain to me why you’re here.”

 

“We left the Fire Nation and-“ Nayeon tries to begin, but the gentle shake of Grandma Yoo’s head stops her mid sentence.

 

“I don’t mean the circumstance, dear child. Tell me again,  _ why _ are you here?”

 

Mina and Nayeon exchange a glance, a silent conversation only the two of them would ever understand taking place in their eyes, before turning back to Grandma Yoo.

 

“We want to be more than what the Fire Nation made us,” Mina mutters quietly, almost afraid of her own answer. “Not soldiers, not dogs, just..”

 

Nayeon picks up on her overwhelming emotion, continuing where she left off nervously. “We came from different backgrounds before joining the Fire Nation Militia. Mina had everything handed to her on a silver platter and I came from absolutely nothing. We both joined the fight too young, an effort to find ourselves in something bigger than ourselves.”

 

“But we only lost ourselves further,” Mina mutters.

 

“We just.. want the chance to find ourselves,” Nayeon finishes, staring submissively into Grandma Yoo’s eyes. “To be more than soldiers.”

 

Grandma Yoo studies the two of them with kind yet judgemental eyes, eyes no doubt looking for any hint of dishonestly or malintent. Her eyes land on the burn mostly covered by Nayeon’s hair, then trail to the burn exposed by Chaeyoung’s ponytail.

 

“I see that the balance of all things reached you much quicker than anticipated,” Grandma Yoo hums as her fingers ghost over Nayeon’s burn. The firebender swallows thickly as she nods, makes a mental note to speak with the earthbender privately should they be able to stay, then focuses back on the elderly woman in front of her.

 

“I will allow you to stay, but on one condition,” she speaks softly, watches two hopeful pairs of eyes stare back at her, ready to do whatever she asks. “You must contribute to society here. Help farm crops, help feed the young and elderly, help in times of crisis. The people here will need time to warm up to you, and doing good deeds will help with that process.”

 

“Of course,” the two firebenders speak at the same time. Chaeyoung smiles at Grandma Yoo before turning back to her friends. Just in time to see Sana’s hardened features before she turns on her heel and leaves the marketplace.

 

“Do not make me regret this, dearies,” Grandma Yoo smiles softly, taking a moment to shake each of their hands before saying, “Welcome to Gongahn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on twitter @ tigermochaeyu uwu. sorry for any mistakes!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't hate me lmao
> 
> also sorry for any mistakes i'm gonna be late for class if i proofread any more lmao

There’s a stillness in the air Mina isn’t used to. Lacking the clang of metal or the shouting of soldiers. Lacking the quiet licks of flame and the resounding echo of footsteps. Only the chirping of birds reach her ears, the rustle of the leaves on the nearby trees.

 

The steady sound of Nayeon’s breathing.

 

Mina looks down to the older girl beside her, eyes closed peacefully for the first time since they had met. It relaxes her so much more than she thought it would, seeing her long time friend and ally at peace. Releases her own sense of peace within her chest, spreading through her limbs to her fingertips. A hope that maybe, just maybe, they’re going to be okay.

 

It’s almost enough to distract her from what the day holds. Almost.

 

She sighs as she remembers, head lulling to the side as she takes in her surroundings. Chaeyoung had been kind enough to raise them a small home from the ground near the three benders’ own home, the earthy walls surrounding them and keeping the wind and cold from invading their sleep. Tzuyu and Momo brought over an extra bed, and when Mina had asked where the owner of this bed would sleep, all she received in response was a playful smirk from the airbender.

 

She’ll figure it out eventually, she thinks. 

 

Right now her focus is on Nayeon, who’s currently stirring beside her. The older girl wakes with a small groan, stretching her arms above her head as best as she can which exposes a small patch of skin at her waist.

 

Mina pretends not to look.

 

“Mm.. how long was I out?” Nayeon asks, her voice thick with sleep as she turns over towards the younger girl, eyes tired but still somehow warm when they look up at her.

 

“You fell asleep almost as soon as we arrived in the others’ home. I had to carry you over here,” Mina chuckles lightly, subconsciously running a hand over Nayeon’s untamed hair to smooth it down. Nayeon hums at the gesture, eyes falling shut at the younger’s touch.

 

“Are we late for work?” Nayeon asks after a few quiet moments, moments Mina has soaked up to her bones. It’s been so long since she’s last spent time with Nayeon in the militia, but it’s so different like this. No worries about judgement, no worries when the war will rip them apart again. It’s just so  _ calm _ , and Mina doesn’t want to ruin it yet.

 

“ _ You’re  _ not late for anything. You’re still resting,” Mina reminds the older girl, her stern resolve nearly crumbling at Nayeon’s pout and puppy dog eyes. “Tzuyu and Momo are gonna finish up your healing process, make sure your muscles haven’t been damaged between the burn and the journey here.”

 

“I..” Nayeon starts, pout gone but replaced by a heavy look of uncertainty. Mina’s brows furrow, hand immediately moving back to Nayeon’s hair as though to soothe her, to remind her that it’s safe to voice her thoughts with her. “I’m worried. Every time we split up something happens.”

 

Mina gnaws on her bottom lip anxiously. Nayeon isn’t wrong, and she won’t deny that she’s had the same hesitations about leaving Nayeon alone, if only for a few hours. But despite her natural instinct to trust Nayeon and Nayeon alone, the three benders in the home beside theirs have managed to earn a small semblance of her trust as well.

 

“I know,” Mina finally answers lowly. “But every time we had split up in the past, we were Fire Nation soldiers. I think.. I think this time, it will be different.”

 

Nayeon nods, leans into Mina’s touch for comfort. “Okay, but if anyone hurts you  _ or _ your feelings, I’m burning their house down.”

 

“No you’re not,” Mina smiles down at her fondly. Nayeon matches the expression.

 

“No, I’m not.”

 

There’s an intimacy in the moment between them, one that awakens some long kept desire within Mina. It’s hindered by the fear of judgment, but the younger girl ignores her insecurity. Leans down slowly, presses her lips as softly as possible against the skin of Nayeon’s forehead, ignores the thrum of her own pulse.

 

“Stay safe,” she hums as she leans back, takes in the stunned look on Nayeon’s face before the older girl smiles a bit awestruck.

 

“Yeah, you too,” her reply is almost breathless. 

 

Mina ignores what it means.

 

-

 

There was a time that Mina enjoyed how eyes would follow her every movement. How people seemed to only pay her the attention they had to give, and she would accept it with pride. 

 

Once, when she was much younger, much more naïve, thriving under her family and the respect her name brought her. Commoners would bow to her, royalty would part crowds for her, and at such a young age she revelled in the attention. Until she had discovered the less than despicable truth about how her family had made their name such a popular one, and she had joined the Fire Nation Militia the moment she was of age to train. To make a better name for herself, better than that of Myoui.

 

The other, when she had been promoted to General. Despite the weight of her actions over the years weighing her down, causing her to doubt herself as each event added a pebble to the weight on her chest, she took pride in being known as General Myoui. A woman of fierce prowess, without mercy and without feeling. Her subordinates revered her; soldiers would move out of her way, conversations would fall flat in her presence, and she thrived from the respect.

 

The feeling was short lived, and all she was left with was a guilty conscience and unanswered questions of whether or not her choices had been worth it.

 

The eyes that follow her now make her realize that no, they were not.

 

She’s outside of the village, trudging down a dirt path alone to her first destination as a citizen of Gongahn, and despite the lack of population in the farmlands she still manages to have all eyes on her. Watching, waiting for her to slip, waiting to strike-

 

“Mina! Glad you made it!”

 

The rather happy voice startles her more than the eyes following her do, jumping as she looks for the source of the sound. Eyes land on a girl a few paces away, smile shaping her eyes into small moons and black hair falling just past her shoulders. The ground surrounding her is covered in green, crops that no doubt need to be harvested, which is Mina’s purpose here today.

 

“You must be Dahyun,” Mina replies, bowing slightly to show respect but stopping halfway at the scoff that leaves the shorter girl’s mouth.

 

“No bowing. I’m just a cabbage farmer, not the Earth King,” she says to the older girl, gesturing with a wave of her hand for Mina to follow her through the fields.

 

“Is this all yours?” Mina asks in a quiet, curious voice as they walk towards the large barn in the near distance. There’s a rather abundant amount of cabbages surrounding them, and the harder Mina looks, the more she realizes there’s no other vegetable in her fields. Just cabbages.

 

“Yep! Took over after my parents went off to Ba Sing Se to warn the Earth King about our situation here,” Dahyun smiles softly, but there’s a tinge of sadness in her eyes that Mina, no matter how hard she tries, can’t ignore.

 

“Did.. did they make it?” Mina stumbles over her words, never been good at being emotional. Especially terrible at comforting anyone that isn’t Nayeon.

 

“Oh yeah, they’re fine don’t worry,” Dahyun catches onto what Mina was trying to say thankfully. The firebender definitely didn’t want to spell that out and make things awkward with the girl she had just met. “They just decided to stay at the capital. Help fight the good fight and all that stuff.”

 

The sadness in her eyes is back, but before Mina can ask about it again, Dahyun mutter, “I just miss them sometimes. But it’s okay, they visit once a year and tell me how proud of me they are. It’s enough, for now.”

 

Mina nods, doesn’t really know if there’s anything she could say or do to placate the younger girl’s mind. She hasn’t seen her own parents in almost eight years, and if it were up to her she would want to keep it that way. So she can’t possibly relate to Dahyun-

 

Except when it comes to Nayeon. Because their friendship was the strongest bond she had ever had with another person, and the concept of only getting to see her once,  _ maybe _ twice a year, was absolutely brutal for Mina.

 

Her thoughts are interrupted by Dahyun’s voice as they reach the barn, a gentle command to grab at the necessary tools to harvest a particular plot of land. The younger girl mutters something under her breath about putting it off for too long and that the sun is going to dry up her cabbages if they leave them out there, so Mina chuckles as she grabs what she needs and follows Dahyun.

 

“Why only cabbages?” Mina catches herself asking. Dahyun laughs and rolls her eyes simultaneously at the question.

 

“I like cabbages, and cabbages got me to be one of the richest people in this village,” Dahyun grins almost cockily, but Mina realizes she’s not arrogant about her status. Only proud of herself for establishing a stable income on her own. Mina laughs and smiles back at her, can’t argue with the logic the younger girl supplied.

 

As they turn to head towards the fields, Mina catches a glimpse of brown hair as a woman turns away from them, heading away from the fields and towards the village. Mina had seen her before, when she had passed through Gongahn on her way to Dahyun’s farm. She isn’t quite sure what it is about the mass of hair that seems so familiar, considering she knows absolutely no one here besides the three protectors and Nayeon, but each time she sees her, her chest feels like it’s remembering a feeling.

 

“Dahyun?” Mina asks quietly, the younger girl humming in recognition. “Who is that?”

 

Dahyun’s eyes follow Mina’s, her demeanor perking up at the sight of the other woman. “That’s Sana! She just came back from the circus, apparently she’s staying for good.”

 

“I don’t think she likes me very much,” Mina hums under her breath, but unfortunately Dahyun catches what she says.

 

“Give her a minute, Sana loves everyone and I’m sure you’ll be no exception,” the farmer smiles, and her positivity actually makes Mina falter in her steps. Dahyun’s face morphs into one of confusion, tilting her head as she stops with the firebender. “You okay?”

 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Mina can’t stop the words from leaving her mouth, the thought that’s been running through the back of her mind since Dahyun greeted her. “I tried to take your village for the Fire Nation, I’m a  _ terrible _ person. Why are you acting like I’m not?”

 

Dahyun thinks on the question, and for a moment Mina is convinced she’s thinking of a lie. She wouldn’t blame the other girl, doubts that anyone in this town would actually be honest with her out of fear or anger.

 

“I won’t lie, I’m terrified of you.”

 

But maybe Dahyun isn’t like the others.

 

Mina looks up at the girl as she continues. “I’ve heard about your reputation. Heard the rumors about your family. I saw first hand just how dangerous you are, and I could tell you weren't even trying. So yeah, I’m absolutely terrified of you.”

 

Mina’s eyes fall to her feet, trying to hold in the tears threatening to spill out. She knows she deserves to feel like this, but after having someone treat her like a human being and not a killing machine all day, it hurts a lot more than she would have expected.

 

“ _ But _ I believe everyone gets a second chance,” Dahyun says gently, placing her free hand on Mina’s shoulder. The firebender almost jolts from the softness of her words, of her actions, but refrains from reverting to old habits to listen to the farmer. “I don’t think people should be judged by their past if they’re willing to change. It would be incredibly hypocritical of me if I let my fear dictate how I see and treat you.”

 

There’s a brief moment where Mina is convinced she might cry, hearing the younger girl’s words. Her entire life has been dictated by how others judge her. Her rank in the military was dictated by how Sozin judged her skill. Her status was maintained by how others feared her. Her entire youth was scrutinized by how people judged her because of her family. She had never been given an opportunity to be viewed by who  _ she _ is. By what  _ she  _ values and what  _ she _ stands for.

 

Yet here Dahyun is, smiling at her like she’s just a normal girl, not a murderous Fire Nation general.

 

“I.. Thank you,” Mina’s voice cracks as she tries to find the words to show her gratitude, but there are none. She could do nothing but thank Dahyun until she understands how much her simple words mean to her.

 

“It’s nothing,” Dahyun waves her off with a smile, continuing down the dirt path between cabbage patches. “Come on, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

 

Mina lets out a watery laugh, shaking her head at how fast Dahyun can move between emotions and topics. “Lead the way.”

 

-

 

The sun has long since set by the time Mina leaves the farm. Dahyun had proved to be quite the entertaining character, stimulating the firebender’s mind with everything from comical jokes to deep, insightful questions. Mina understood by the time they had lunch why she was so well liked by everyone, and is more than thankful that her first good deed in Gongahn was with her.

 

The village is relatively quiet as she passes through on her way to the mountain. Those she passes by in the streets give her a curt nod of acknowledgement, much more preferable than the looks she had received on her way through the streets that morning. People must believe she is willing to do good now that she’s helped Dahyun, or they’re still afraid of her.

 

She hopes it’s the former.

 

Mina passes through a small alley between the marketplace and a few homes, the fastest way through the village, closing her eyes and taking a long, deep breath as she appreciates the small moment of solace it gives her-

 

Until she hears a scuff from above.

 

She doesn’t have enough time to react before a thud resounds from in front of her. Her eyes don’t open fast enough, and by the time they’ve adjusted to the dark she’s faced with a half-masked face. 

 

With the blade of a sword pressed against the skin of her neck.

 

She swallows, feels her skin scape against the edge of the blade as she does, and stares into the eyes of the person in front of her. There’s a nagging feeling in the back of her head, that these eyes are familiar. That she’s seen them before. Her mind runs through various Fire Nation soldiers they might be, bounty hunters that might be after her, but the person in front of her pulls the black cloth from their face before she can determine who’s eyes they are.

 

The cloth is removed, and Mina is left face to face with the girl who watched her cross the village. The girl who watched her help Dahyun.

 

Sana.

 

Finally seeing her face, Mina understands why she her chest was tight with some unknown feeling when she saw Sana on the farm. Why memories were trying to burst from her mind at the sight of her eyes. She  _ knows  _ Sana, as much as she wishes with every fiber of her being that she didn’t.

 

_ Screams. That’s all Mina can hear, save for the angry roar of flames. The night sky is lit by the ember glow of buildings set alight, the air is filled with begs and pleads from people as the Fire Nation marches into their village, into their homes. Men are fighting with what little weapons and skills they have, most having fallen to a gruesome demise laying motionless in the street. Women and children are separated, cries from both as they try to find their way back to one another. _

 

_ Mina stands amidst the chaos, a young firebender but a name being made for herself. Known among the Fire Nation as a prodigal soldier destined for greatness, she waits patiently for orders. Citizens run in fear at the sight of her, and it fills her with some sort of accomplishment. That at the age of 16 she is already feared by those who don’t even know her name. Imagines how they will fear her when they do. _

 

_ Her captain commands her to the west of the village with a small league of soldiers, to snuff out any resistance left in the people’s veins, and she follows orders without question. She lets loose balls of fire without care, intent on carrying out orders as she was told, does not think for herself but only for the good of the Fire Nation. She readies another fireball, aimed for a house still unscathed, when an abrupt noise stops her in her tracks. _

 

_ A choked sob. _

 

_ Eyes whip to the source of the sound, ready to attack if necessary, but all of the fight in her falters when she sees a girl beside her. A girl who can’t possibly be much older than Mina, hands grasping almost desperately at her own forearms, as though trying to hold herself together. Her brown eyes are filled with tears, wavering with the reflection of flames. The fire in Mina’s hand flickers, a physical representation of the feeling in her chest, as she stares at this girl. The flame burns out in a small wisp of smoke, Mina’s hand falling to her side as the two of them look at one another, memorizing one another. _

 

_ Mina knows this will mean something to her later in life, but all she feels in the moment is confusion. _

 

_ “Myoui!” Someone yells from behind her, her head whipping around to one of her fellow soldiers as they wave for her to retreat back to the village center. She turns back to the girl, who’s shaking in fear as she examines Mina, waits for her to do something to her. But Mina.. _

 

_ She can’t. She doesn’t know why, but she can’t. _

 

_ “Go,” Mina commands softly, the girl not needing to be told twice as she turns on her heel and runs towards the nearby mountain. Mina sighs, her chest filling with guilt as she launches a handful of fire at the unscathed home. _

 

_ (She blames it on letting the girl go.) _

 

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for six years, Myoui,” Sana says, her voice filled with venom yet still shaking as she presses closer to Mina. She slashes her sword at the firebender, but Mina merely avoids it. The action seems to anger Sana more, slashing again much more violently, yet Mina merely avoids it again. Another slash, another dodge, until Sana is screaming at Mina.

 

“Fight back! Why won’t you fight back?!” she yells, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stops her onslaught of attacks. It’s not until she looks up, chest heaving with rage and exertion, that she notices Mina is crying too. She raises her sword once more, aims it at Mina’s throat and presses the girl against a nearby wall. Sana is ready to do what it takes, to get her revenge for the day she lost her home, the day she lost her family.

 

She isn’t ready for Mina to press herself against the blade, to plead through tears, “Do it. I deserve it.”

 

Sana lets the surprise was over her momentarily, before steeling her emotions once more. She presses the blade harder against Mina’s neck, watching it slice her skin slightly, watches the blood stain her sword. Mina’s breath hitches at the pain but she doesn’t back down. Waits for Sana to do it.

 

Because that moment six years ago, that single brief point in time between the two of them, changed Mina’s perspective on the Fire Nation. Caused her to realize that the cause of the Fire Nation was unjust, was cruel, and that her blatant following of orders was merely destroying the lives of others. Destroying her own sanity. It was the first weight on her chest of many.

 

And Sana, having lost everything, joined a small group of refugees. Created a safe place for those who had nowhere else to go because of the Fire Nation’s cruelty. Heard the same name whispered among newcomers, saw the same face plastered on every poster as the ‘Might of Fire Nation’. Fate would not let her forget the one who took everything from her, and she made sure she would take everything from the Fire Nation soldier known as Myoui.

 

Yet here she is. Fate has given her the moment she has waited for for  _ years _ , has handed her a weak and broken General Myoui, and she can’t bring herself to do it. Can’t bring herself to take everything from the girl because everything already has been taken from her.

 

Frustration fills Sana, and she shouts as she pulls her arm back and lodges her sword into the wall beside MIna’s head. The firebender flinches at the movement but is surprised when no pain comes, watches Sana crumble onto her knees, sobbing into the quiet night air. Mina doesn’t know if she feels relieved that she’s still alive or disappointed, but she slides down the wall and falls to the ground beside Sana, silent tears streaming down her face as the two of them sit there.

 

“I hate you.. I hate you _so_ _much_.. You took _everything_ from me,” Sana manages out between tears and gasps for breath. “Every time I remember the pain the Fire Nation caused me, I see _your_ face. I can’t stand to stay in one place any more out of fear that everything will be taken from me, and the moment I decide to try, I _can’t!_ Because of _you!_ ” 

 

Mina bows her head, shame flooding her body that she had managed to ruin Sana’s life so much. She knew what she had done to hurt this girl in the past, but she never imagined that one single moment would affect Sana this much, affect  _ both _ of them this much. So she stays still, tears blurring her vision, as she waits for Sana to pick up her sword once again.

 

“I hate you,” she chokes on a sob, voice cracking as her throat fills with tears, “so why… why can’t I do it?!” Sana shouts, more at herself than at Mina. The firebender still flinches at her volume, momentarily shocked at the sound, but stays silent nonetheless.

 

“You deserve to  _ pay _ , for  _ everything _ you’ve ever done,” Sana’s tears continue to fall but her voice is no longer choked, only left with a hollow remnant of her normal self as she stands to her feet, grabbing the hilt of her sword and holding it by her side.

 

“Then finish it.  _ Please _ ,” Mina manages out, staring up at Sana with pleading eyes. It surprises the older girl, how desperate the former general looks. How she pleads for her own death, as though she knows the pain she deserves. As though she’s been living with it ever since their encounter.

 

It makes Sana angrier, that instead of getting to fight for a vengeance she deserves, her enemy lies at her feet begging for a punishment she thought she would have to force her way to. She hates it, hates that it’s too easy, hates that Mina is aware and willing to let her kill her.

 

It doesn’t feel as good as she thought it would.

 

“No,” Sana states simply, revelling slightly in the way Mina’s face falls in disappointment. “You don’t deserve the release of death. You don’t deserve to be free from your burdens while everyone you’ve ever hurt is still living with the outcome of your actions.” Mina’s head falls against her chest, and Sana feels better knowing her words are hurting more than her sword ever could. 

 

Sana sheathes her sword, wiping the tears from her cheeks and standing tall as she continues. “You deserve to live with this pain for the rest of your days. I want you to remember  _ every _ terrible thing you’ve ever done every time you see my face. Death would be a mercy, and I will enjoy watching you suffer.”

 

With that, Sana walks away, leaving Mina sobbing quietly in the dirt. She thought it would feel better, confronting the girl who ruined her life. Thought it would cause the weight in her chest to go away, to make her life going forward much easier than it had been in the past.

 

She hates that it doesn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twitter @ tigermochaeyu


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for waiting and for streaming TT to 400mil!!

Nayeon doesn’t know why she’s here. Alone, of all things, listening to the water in front of her trickle down stream. The air by the water is more crisp, brushing softly against her face, relaxes her body. It fills her with an unusual calm, despite reminding her so vividly of the life she had left behind in exchange for this one.

 

She wonders if it was worth it more often than she’d like to admit, running from the Fire Nation into the hands of their 'enemies'. She knows it was, knows it when she wakes up beside Mina, knows it when she doesn’t have to exude power with every step she takes, knows it when she can feel like a person and not a machine. But the people of the village are afraid of them, and Nayeon knows they have every right to be.

 

Part of her hates that she can’t do anything. While Mina is out in the village, helping the others and making amends with the people to give them a safe place, she’s stuck here. And  _ healing _ , no less. She scoffs at the thought, staring at the scar permanently marking her shoulder. She’s never spent a day in her life doing nothing, not since joining the Fire Nation militia, and it’s almost unnerving having to actually relax and rest. 

 

And Mina.. The poor girl had come home one night the week before nearly drowning in her own tears, eyes bloodshot and sunken in and her body shaking, and Nayeon, damn her injuries, pulled her into her arms and held her up on her feet. Cooed into her ear soft words of reassurance that everything was okay, that she was here, but not even she could believe her own words. She held Mina in her arms until the younger fell asleep, ignoring the helpless feeling in her chest because she can’t even help the girl closest to her, let alone herself.

 

She scoffs again, throwing a rock into the river and watching it sink with a low thunk. She doesn’t deserve to be shown any kind of kindness. Her weakness is the reason they left the Fire Nation, her weakness is the reason she can’t help Mina, her weakness is the reason she can’t feel comfortable and happy in a safe environment. She hates it, how feeble she’s become, how Mina doesn’t feel comfortable telling her what happened that night. Throws another stone in retaliation, as though the rocks will destroy the memories that she once had of her former life, watches it sink once more.

 

“What’d the river do to you?”

 

Nayeon jumps at the sound of the passive voice, turning quickly to see who disturbed her solitude. The scar on her shoulder tickles at the sight of the young earthbender, and she ignores the growing unease in her stomach as Chaeyoung walks closer, body relaxed but eyes ever vigilant as she approaches the firebender.

 

“The water holds too many memories for me,” Nayeon finds herself answering despite knowing she shouldn't. She curses herself internally, for telling Chaeyoung anything personal about her previous life, for giving the girl any more ammunition than she already has. But Chaeyoung only hums in acknowledgement, makes her way closer until she’s sat down beside the older girl. Pulls the pack off of her bag, digging into it until she pulls out some bread, handing it wordlessly to Nayeon.

 

“Tzuyu told me to bring you some food. Can’t heal properly on an empty stomach or something,” Chaeyoung says and Nayeon nods understandingly, somehow knowing Chaeyoung wouldn’t have came to her on her own free will. She takes the bread regardless, and the two sit beside one another in silence as they eat. 

 

Nayeon hates that it isn’t as uncomfortable as she thought it would be.

 

There’s something.. inviting, about the other girl’s presence. The fact that Chaeyoung has stayed with her rather than giving her the food and leaving leads Nayeon to believe that there’s something on her chest that she needs to let out. And the firebender won’t deny that there are things she would rather say than leave unsaid, especially if she’s going to be staying in this village with the younger girl.

 

It takes a lot more courage than she’d like to admit, but she manages to open her mouth to speak.

 

“I blamed you, you know,” she starts, appreciates the silence that Chaeyoung gives her in response. “When I had to return to the Fire Nation empty handed, I blamed you. When I was..  _ branded _ by Fire Lord Sozin for my inadequacy as a soldier, I blamed you.” Nayeon sighs, hands falling limp in her lap and eyes falling shut in despair. “When I remembered that day, when I remembered my failure, every time I closed my eyes, I saw  _ your _ face. Not Momo’s, not Tzuyu’s, but  _ yours _ .”

 

“Trust me, having you here isn’t exactly pleasant for me either,” Chaeyoung responds after she nods at the firebender’s words, tucking her knees against her chest. Nayeon has no idea what she’s talking about until she looks over that she sees the burn on Chaeyoung’s shoulder. The girl had been covering it up over the last few days, so Nayeon hadn’t really gotten to see, but in the yellow tank top that Nayeon is sure belongs to Momo, she realizes just how bad it is. Just how much skin was seared by an act of her own rage.

 

She feels a bit foolish, thinking she was the only one hurt in their battle.

 

“Look, I get if you hate me. I’d rather that be out in the open now than never,” Chaeyoung mutters as she rests her chin against the tops of her knees. Nayeon feels guilty when she notices just how small the girl looks like this. “But you can’t blame me for protecting my friends. This village, Momo and Tzuyu, they’re my family. This scar you gave me? It's nothing but a reminder of how hard I’ll fight for them.”

 

“So you don’t hate me then?” Nayeon asks slowly. It’s childish, to think that the other girl has no ill feelings for her, but she may as well try and ask.

 

“We’re definitely not best friends, that’s for sure,” Chaeyoung grumbles. “I couldn’t train for a week because of you. And I certainly didn’t want you here when you two first showed up but..” She trails off, playing with her fingers around her legs. “You know the Fire Nation is going to keep coming back here, right? You know you’re going to have to fight them?”

 

“Of course they’re coming back. Sozin is hellbent on claiming this village,” Nayeon groans, throwing another rock into the river. 

 

“I don’t even get what’s so important about it. It’s not like this river leads very far inland so it’s not a major trade route. And it’s way too far from the Western Air Temple or Ba Sing Se to be classified as a base for a later attack,” Chaeyoung lists of the reasons she had come up with when trying to figure out why the Fire Lord personally wants-

 

“There’s rumors of an incredible power source beneath Gongahn Village,” Nayeon mutters, hates that she knows the truth of the attacks yet there was never any real concrete evidence to fuel them. “Powerful stones filled with sunlight that would provide the Fire Nation with a constant source of power, even in the darkest of nights.”

 

There’s silence between them, and Nayeon wonders if Chaeyoung is going to bury her in the dirt for knowing the truth, until sudden bursts laughter fill her ears. Her brows furrow as she turns to the earthbender, how her head is buried against her knees as she laughs loud and free. “What?” Nayeon asks almost offendedly. “What’s so funny?”

 

“There’s-” Chaeyoung laughs, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. “There’s no 'sun rocks' here! They don’t even exist! Where the hell is Sozin getting this kind of information?” Nayeon’s eyes widen in realization, an almost defeated feeling filling her stomach. 

 

There was never anything here? The Fire Nation have just been wasting soldiers and resources for.. Nothing?

 

“Come on,” Chaeyoung rises to her feet, offering a hand to Nayeon to help her up. The firebender looks between the earthbender’s eyes and hand hesitantly before taking it, letting herself be hauled to her feet. “I’ll show you what’s beneath the village.”

 

-

 

There’s a hesitance in Momo, one that she’s not been accustomed to for years, as she hoists the basket filled with food into her arms. Tzuyu had tasked her with bringing the two firebenders nutrients and fresh clothes, and while Momo would rather not airbend for a week, she knows that the waterbender would put her in her place if she were to deny the request. The desire to get the task done and over with gives her the motivation she needs to cross their vista to the other home, to lift her hand to knock on the door-

 

But that hesitance returns full force, when the sound of muffled sobs reach her ears, and she stops before her knuckles can make contact with the wooden surface.

 

She waits a few moments, to listen if the girl on the other side had heard her approach, listens for another voice. When she hears none, nerves flood her system. Momo had never been the best at providing comfort that isn’t physical. That’s why she’s best for when Tzuyu and Chaeyoung just need a pair of arms around them. Advice and comforting words aren’t her forte, so she has not a clue what to do in this situation.

 

She debates just setting the basket down outside of the door and bolting, but a part of her pulls in her chest at the thought. She knows in her heart that she should talk to whoever is crying, as much as it might pain her to. So with a sigh, Momo knocks once to announce her presence before entering, hearing the rushed sniffles and coughing to try and cover the sounds of crying.

 

She’s surprised to see Mina on the other side. She would have thought that it would be Nayeon crying, after the pain and loss she’s gone through with the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation. However, the longer she thinks on it, the more it makes sense. Mina had been closed off more than normal the last week, barely eaten, barely spoke unless spoken to. Even Dahyun had asked if she was okay, but Momo had no idea whatever was eating at her would break her down like this.

 

“Momo,” Mina croaks out, wiping at her face furiously to rid it of residual moisture, but Momo can see the shimmer in her red rimmed eyes. She says nothing, merely sets the basket down on the ground before shutting the door. She can see the confusion fill Mina’s eyes as she remains inside, approaches the firebender before sitting near the foot of the bed, giving Mina enough space to not feel crowded.

 

She can hear Mina trying to keep her tears in beside her, no doubt trying to stop listening to whatever thoughts are swarming in her head and undeniably failing. Momo doesn’t know what’s right to say in this situation, so she just begins to speak.

 

“I fled my home when I was barely an adult,” Momo starts, her voice empty and her face hard. Tries to hold in her own emotion from the story of her past. “I was safe and cared for and given everything I was needed. Education and- and training and resources to better myself. I had everything laid out for me,  _ everything _ . And yet, I left.”

 

Mina’s sniffles are slowing, and while Momo still has no idea what she’s doing, she continues. “I loved what I had, never took advantage of it, but it just.. It wasn’t right for  _ me _ . I wasn’t meant to be a pacifist. The more and more news I heard about the Fire Nation, which was  _ very _ little mind you, the more I felt the urge to fight back. To help those in trouble and do what  _ I _ felt was right.”

 

“So.. you left?” Mina’s voice is fragile as she asks her question. Momo nods, her normal barriers when it comes to new people, especially firebenders, falling slowly as she continues.

 

“I left with a bag of clothes and my glider,” Momo states quietly. “Travelled this corner of the Earth Kingdom almost nomadically for a year, before I noticed a patrol of Fire Nation soldiers attacking a village. Without even thinking for my own safety I ran into the fight, was overtaken and forced further down the river by five soldiers. And suddenly, rocks and water were flying around me, and I met Tzuyu and Chaeyoung in the heat of battle.”

 

“And you’ve been protecting this village ever since,” Mina sniffles once more, her voice hoarse but stronger than it had been. Momo is glad to hear that her cries have ceased, but she knows her purpose here isn’t finished. Takes a breath before turning to Mina, eyes meeting as she speaks.

 

“You and Nayeon, you spent most of your lives in the Fire Nation. You were revered and well taken care of and had _everything_ you could have asked for. Yet you left. Because it wasn’t right for  _ you _ ,” Momo says, Mina nodding shyly at her accurate statement. “You might feel lost, and that’s okay. The life you once had is behind you and you don’t know what to do. But if you follow that feeling in your chest, the one that urged you to leave and come here with nothing but the clothes on your backs, you’ll find your purpose.”

 

“You think your purpose is to protect this village for the rest of your life?” Mina asks. Momo would be offended if the firebender’s tone was nothing but genuinely curious.

 

“It is, and to protect the people in it,” she nods. “Your purpose might not be in this village. And that’s okay. But make sure your purpose is a just one.”

 

Mina nods slowly, a long breath falling from her lips as she finally reaches a sense of calm. “Thank you, Momo. I don’t think I can express my gratitude enough.”

 

“All I did was speak,” Momo shrugs, standing on her feet and walking to the door. She turns once she reaches the door, looking to Mina expectantly. “Well? Are you coming or not?”

 

Mina’s brows furrow. “But I have to go to the village?”

 

“The villagers will understand if I keep you with me for one day,” Momo chuckles. Despite trying to keep her calm, she ends up with a devious smirk on her face when Mina’s head tilts in confusion. “We’re going to spar. You look like you need to get in a good punch.”

 

-

 

Nayeon’s eyes widen in awe as she watches Chaeyoung rip a hole into the mountainside. Watches the earthbender’s muscles flex in her shoulders as she grunts, lifting a large rock from the mountain and tossing it to the side like a piece of parchment.

 

“How long did you say you were trained?” Nayeon asks curiously, already knowing the answer but wanting to hear it for herself.

 

“Trained myself,” Chaeyoung answers between huffs of breath, hands on her knees as her lungs work furiously to fill with normal amounts of air once more. “Parents hated that I could bend, so I ran and did it myself.”

 

Nayeon hums in acknowledgement, stares at the long, deep tunnel exposed in the mountainside as she tries to ignore the cocky smirk on Chaeyoung’s face in the corner of her eye. Definitely can’t ignore the sound of her voice. “What, pissed off that a barely trained earthbender beat you in a fight?”

 

“Oh trust me, I will _never_ stop being angry about that," Nayeon laughs sarcastically, "but I will admit that I'm glad you did." She steps forward into the cave with Chaeyoung, taking controlled breaths as she fills the palm of her hand with blue flames.  "This is pretty cool looking.”

 

She watches Chaeyoung stare at the cold fire dancing at her fingertips, sees the awe in shining in them the longer she looks. “You know, I’ve never seen a firebender with blue fire.”

 

“Me either,” Nayeon chuckles as they continue walking further into the mountain. “And I’ve never seen an untrained earthbender with such raw power.”

 

“So we agree we’re the coolest benders in town then?” Chaeyoung asks with that same cocky smirk from before. Nayeon rolls her eyes playfully at the girl’s question but nods nonetheless, knocks her not-flaming fist against Chaeyoung’s offered one. Nayeon thinks she can Chaeyoung could come to be friends should time allow it, and she doesn’t mind the idea of the concept as much as she would have two weeks ago.

 

The pair come to a set of multiple tunnels, and Nayeon feels a sense of anxiety and almost defeat fill her chest, overwhelmed by the thought of getting lost deep in the earth. “How are we supposed to know which tunnel-”

 

Her words are abruptly halted by Chaeyoung slamming her foot powerfully against the ground, her eyes closed and face set in concentration. Nayeon looks at her almost incredulously, absolutely sure the other girl had gone insane, when Chaeyoung opens her eyes and points down the leftmost tunnel. “That one.”

 

“What in the name of the Spirits did you just do?” Nayeon asks, finally letting her shock out into her words, jogging slightly to catch up with the earthbender.

 

“I don’t really know how to explain it,” Chaeyoung shrugs as they walk down the tunnel she had pointed towards, “but I can almost ‘see’ through earthbending. I can only do it in these tunnels because the earth is so thick here, but it’s.. It’s like the vibrations that leave my feet act as my eyes, telling me what’s where.”

 

“So when you slammed your foot onto the ground..”

 

“I was looking to see which tunnel was the longest,” Chaeyoung nods in confirmation. “I dug these myself, but I can never remember all the twists and turns. Tried to dig different tunnels to find faster routes, safer routes, but there’s only one that makes it all the way down.”

 

“That’s.. Incredible,” Nayeon breathes out, impressed beyond belief by the abilities of a half baked earthbender. “Remind me once I’m fully healed to train with you. If you’re this strong on your own, imagine what you could become if given proper training and techniques.”

 

“ _You_ know earthbending?” Chaeyoung’s voice is clearly skeptical as it echoes through the long tunnels, the pair following the twists and turns further into the earth.

 

“I know proper training techniques that are universal throughout the four nations,” Nayeon corrects her. “Plus I know a nearby village I can snag some bending scrolls from.”

 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Chaeyoung chuckles as they make another turn, and Nayeon is momentarily taken aback by the faint green light that comes from further down the tunnel. Chaeyoung laughs at the look on her face before continuing through the caves, and before long they’re standing in the epicenter of a glowing phenomenon.

 

“Woah,” Nayeon breathes out, flames faltering from her hand into a puff of smoke as her steps slow, eyes roaming the cavern in awe. She can hear Chaeyoung’s chuckle bounce off of the stone walls, her scuffed steps echo into the dead air around them. Beautiful green crystals fill the cave, glimmering with a light unlike anything Nayeon has ever seen. They glow on their own accord, no light from the sun nor the moon needed for them to shine. It matches every description she’s heard of Sozin’s sun stones, except..

 

“They’re green,” she mutters out, not sure if the emotion that fills her chest is disappointment or relief. Both, probably. Disappointment that she was sent to fight for a false myth, and relief that the Fire Nation won’t have any more power in their hands. The village, everyone in it, was nearly sacrificed for the words of a mad man. 

 

The thought alone fills Nayeon with inexplicable rage.

 

“Hey,” Chaeyoung’s voice cuts through the haze in her mind, bringing her back down to earth before she could let her anger consume her again. The last thing Chaeyoung deserves is to be near Nayeon when her frustration is at its peak once more. “I get that this is probably disheartening for you.”

 

“No it’s.. It’s relieving, actually,” Nayeon speaks honestly, lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “Sozin was wrong, and that fills me with a  _ lot _ more joy than it would have two weeks ago. But I just.. All this time..”

 

“You were fighting for something that wasn’t here, putting innocent people at risk for a lie,” Chaeyoung nods, pulling the words right from Nayeon’s mouth. The two of them stand there in the cavern, basking in the glow and each other’s presence for a few moments, and Nayeon lets her mind wrap around her current predicament.

 

“I can’t believe you trusted me with this, after everything that’s happened. After everything I’ve done-”

 

“If Tzuyu trusts you, I trust you,” Chaeyoung cuts her off before her self pity can get any worse. “And besides. I can see that you two want to change. Mina’s been helping Dahyun so much the girl barely has any crops to harvest. And you have been working to get better to help as well, hell you offered to train me. Besides,” Chaeyoung pauses, smirking mischievously, “if you try to cross us, I can always bury you down here.”

 

“That’s pleasant,” Nayeon rolls her eyes, but Chaeyoung’s grin is infectious. She finds herself laughing against her own will, and soon the cave is booming with the sounds of their amusement. It takes a few moments for her to calm down, but Nayeon finally gathers enough breath to say, “Thank you, Chaeyoung. For showing me this.”

 

Chaeyoung shrugs, smile still threatening to overtake her face at any moment as she does. “Keep being nice to me and who knows, maybe we’ll be friends one day.”

 

Nayeon doesn’t get to voice how she’d come to enjoy the thought the more time they had spent together, because her words are cut off by a rumble from the ground above them. Dust falls from the cavern ceiling as Nayeon’s eyes whip to the younger girl’s closed eyes, face filled with fear and worry, no doubt able to ‘see’ what’s happening above them.

 

“The Fire Nation,” Chaeyoung breathes out as she opens her eyes, meeting Nayeon’s own. “They’re back.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAVE Y'ALL TRIED THE LONG AND COMPLICATED FIGHT SCENES? I THOUGHT THE LONG AND COMPLICATED FIGHT SCENES WERE LOVELY
> 
> This is the longest chapter I think I've written for this story so far, and it has a LOT of perspective changes, to be sure to pay attention to what you're reading. Be sure to yell at me on twitter or curiouscat @ tigermochaeyu when you're done uwu <3

Mina follows Momo and Tzuyu as quickly as she can down the mountainside at the first sight of the Fire Nation ship coming down the riverbank, an anxiety she’s never known before filling her chest. Between the running and the fear, it’s difficult to retain oxygen, but Momo and Tzuyu are there by her side, encouraging her despite knowing how hard it will be for her to have to fight the people she once fought beside.

 

Momo and Tzuyu are draped in black garbs, while Mina had exhaled shakily as she put her old General uniform on once more. She wanted them to know who they were up against, who was defending this village beside the rebels, who was stopping them from hurting these people. She was ready for the repercussions this act of defiance might have, but she knows in her heart that  _ this _ is right.

 

Had it not been for the urgency of the situation, Mina would have gone looking for Nayeon. She doesn’t want the older girl anywhere near the fight, but she knows without a doubt that she’ll be there when she realizes what’s going on. Nayeon was never one to let her injuries hold her back, and despite the fact that her shoulder is nearly healed, she still worries dearly.

 

Chaeyoung crosses her mind as well, wondering where the young earthbender could possibly be in a situation this dire. Tzuyu reassures her that Chaeyoung will be here, that the younger girl would never pass up an opportunity to kick some Fire Nation soldiers into submission, and Mina laughs despite how her heart feels like it’s in her throat.

 

‘Please get here soon,’ she thinks, praying Nayeon and Chaeyoung can sense the urgency of her thoughts as they reach the village border.

 

-

 

“This isn’t good.”

 

“You think?” Chaeyoung asks, exasperation in her tone as her hands clutch her hair desperately. Nayeon watches the shorter girl pace in the glowing cavern, can almost hear her mind running as fast as possible as she tries to come up with a solution.

 

“We have to go back,” Nayeon stresses as she walks back towards the cavern they came from, but Chaeyoung shakes her head quickly, ‘no’s falling from her lips faster than should be possible. Nayeon feels the anxiety crawling up her throat the longer they stay still, thoughts filled with the safety of the village and of Mina.

 

“Not back, we won’t make it in time if we go back..” Chaeyoung trails off under her breath, trying to think of an answer.

 

Spirits, Nayeon hopes Mina is safe.

 

“Chaeyoung!” Nayeon yells, trying to pull the girl from her own head.

 

The earthbender groans frustratedly and slams her foot against the ground once more, eyes shut tightly as the vibrations of her strike pulse through the mountain. Nayeon really hopes she knows what she’s doing, because the cavern walls shake almost uncomfortably with every strike to the ground.

 

“This way!” Chaeyoung shouts, running to the opposite side of the cavern. Nayeon knows she doesn’t have the time to question the earthbender’s methods or sanity, so she just runs along behind her, praying they make it in time.

 

She  _ has _ to make it to Mina in time.

 

-

 

Mina grunts as they reach the river, launching herself into the air before laying a wall of fire between the village and the approaching Fire Nation soldiers, separating them from their goal. Her chest heaves from the exertion of running down the mountain and from the anger that floods her body, face illuminated by the glowing flames as she, Momo, and Tzuyu stand their ground.

 

“Don’t you guys ever get tired?” Momo asks with a drawn out sigh, displaying just how irritated she is from their consistent onslaught of attacks on such a small village. Her humor is hiding just how ready she is to fight, hand clutching her staff like a lifeline, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Tzuyu stands with her arms across her chest, displaying a sense of apathy yet a display of power at the same time.

 

“So this is where the infamous General Myoui has fallen to,” a soldier chuckles darkly, Mina’s face hardening at her old title. “Not only a deserter, but a traitor as well!”

 

“Talk all you’d like, but you’re not getting this village,” Mina rolls her eyes, stepping into her fighting stance almost immediately. She feels more than sees Momo and Tzuyu mimic her actions beside her. “If you want it, come and claim it.”

 

-

 

“Come on everyone! Get to your homes or into the marketplace! Get somewhere safe!”

 

Jihyo’s voice carries through the streets effortlessly, people following her command without question. She sees Jeongyeon ushering the elderly into the marketplace from down the way, while Dahyun gathers the children and Sana rushes towards Jihyo’s home. She knows to trust Sana’s antics no matter the situation, and doesn’t let herself worry about the older girl.

 

“Miss Jihyo, what’s going on?” Jihyo looks down to see little Haru standing in front of her, eyes filled with confusion but not fear. Jihyo wants to smile, wants to praise the little girl for being brave, but she doesn’t have time. None of them do.

 

“The Fire Nation are here sweetie, so we need to get everyone to safety,” Jihyo explains, squatting down until she’s eye level with Haru.

 

“What about Momo and Chaengie and Tzuyu?”

 

“They’re helping to protect us like always, little one,” Jihyo explains simply.

 

“Can I help?” Haru asks, and Jihyo  _ really _ wants to tell her how brave she thinks she is.

 

“Helping them protect us would be very dangerous, Haru,” Jihyo tells her softly, taking her small hands into her own encouragingly. “ _ But _ , you  _ could  _ help Dahyunnie get the other kids to safety. You think you can do that and then get back to the marketplace as fast as you can?”

 

Haru nods enthusiastically, running towards Dahyun as she yells over her shoulder that she won’t let Jihyo down. Jihyo chuckles as she stands, watching the little girl reach Dahyun, watching Dahyun listen to her attentively before telling her where to lead the other kids. She sends out a silent prayer to the Spirits that the village will survive another attack so soon, before continuing to usher the villagers to safety.

 

-

 

Mina grunts as she leaps across the beach, narrowly avoiding another fireball aimed at her torso. She, Momo, and Tzuyu have been at it for a while, effectively pressing the Fire Nation back and keeping them from gaining any ground towards the village, but something feels off. Nayeon still isn’t here, yet the fight seems too  _ easy _ . Like they’re barely even trying.

 

She gasps when she realizes what’s happening, nearly taking a fist to the face as she does. It’s an old Fire Nation tactic; start the fight from one side of the field, so that the focus is taken away from the other. She  _ knows _ there must be a small squad headed for the village entrance, and she  _ knows _ she has to stop it. Taking down the soldier in front of her in mere moments, she turns towards Tzuyu.

 

“Can you two handle this?” She yells over the sound of flames and grunts of soldiers. Tzuyu smirks as she takes a deep breath, her body moving in a fluid motion before the sound of groaning metal reaches Mina’s ears. She turns, watches as Tzuyu pierces the hull of the Fire Nation ship with columns of ice, tipping the ship in the process.

 

Momo leaps over the taller girl as she does, sending a gust of wind out with her staff that knocks any soldiers coming near Tzuyu away and onto their backs. She grins at Mina, who’s still fighting two different soldiers effortlessly, and yells, “Go! We can hold them off until Chaeyoung and Nayeon arrive!”

 

Mina nods, ducks just as the two soldiers on her either side try to attack her, and laughs as they blast one another with a burst of flames. She nods to Tzuyu, who sends her an encouraging nod in return, and runs back towards the village, praying to the spirits she makes it in time.

 

-

 

Jihyo lets out a relieved sigh when the doors to the marketplace are barricaded, save for the one side door in the case that any villagers didn’t make it can get inside. It’s guarded heavily by the strongest farmers of the village, arms filled with rusty swords and farming scythes. Families are sat around the ground, murmuring quietly among themselves, as a few people walk through and make sure everyone is safe and that they haven’t been harmed.

 

“How’s the headcount looking, Jeong?” Jihyo asks, her voice low and gentle as she reaches the older girl.

 

“Besides our protectors and the two excommunicated Fire Nation soldiers? We’ve got most of the villagers here. Others are hiding in their homes or their farms, protecting themselves as always,” Jeongyeon shrugs as she answers, a slightly irritated sigh leaving her lips. “I wish they would all just come to the marketplace, I hate fearing for their safety when I could just know that they’re safe here.”

 

“I know and I agree, but we can’t force people to do something they don’t want to do,” Jihyo reminds Jeongyeon, who hums in response.

 

A commotion by the door brings Sana, surprise flashing across Jihyo’s face as she sees the two swords in her hands. The men at the door let her in after a few moments, and Jihyo doesn’t blame them. She’s still technically newer to the village despite knowing everyone here, and nerves are high. Jihyo would have stopped her too if she didn’t know her so well.

 

The swords are a new addition, but she trusts the woman she loves nonetheless.

 

“Sorry I’m late, had to make sure I could protect you,” Sana huffs through gasps for breath, earning an amused glance from Jihyo.

 

“With these secret fancy swords?”

 

Sana stands tall once she’s caught her breath, looking Jihyo straight into the eyes as she says, “I’d protect you with my bare hands until my last breath if it meant you would be safe.”

 

Jihyo smiles at the woman she loves, stepping closer to press her lips delicately against Sana’s own, letting her love flow through the small action. “I know you would. Let’s hope it never comes to that.”

 

“Jihyo!”

 

The woman in question turns towards Dahyun, her eyes wide and frantic, enough to send a small panic into Jihyo herself.

 

“Where’s Haru?”

 

-

 

Mina reaches the village gate just as around a dozen Fire Nation soldiers slip through. They have yet to notice her, so she hides around the corner of a small home to create a rough plan of attack. One against many is never an easy fight, so she’ll have to play it safe-

 

“Get out of my village!” A small voice shouts from down the street, and she watches as a rock hits one of the soldiers in the head, a small dink resounding from his helmet. All eyes, Mina’s included, turn towards the small girl in the middle of the street, another rock in her hand ready for launch.

 

Mina cannot possibly believe how foolishly brave this little girl is, and also feels fear crawl up her throat for her all the same. She wants to call out, to tell the little girl to run, but she throws another rock before Mina can stop her, hitting another soldier in the head.

 

‘Solid aim,’ Mina thinks to herself with a small smile.

 

A smile that’s wiped off of her face when she watches the soldier she just hit fill his hands with red hot licks of fire.

 

“I’m gonna teach you a lesson you’ll never forget, little girl,” he nearly growls as he approaches her, and Mina is amazed the little girl is still standing her ground. Her amazement is severely overshadowed by disbelief, that this soldier would dare hurt a child, and she throws herself out from around the corner, consequences be damned.

 

She approaches swiftly, before the soldier can pay her any mind, and leaps into the air. She lands a solid kick against his face, landing with a thud between him and the little girl. She turns to the little girl while the soldiers are still in shock, shouting at her, “Get to the others! Go!”

 

The little girl nods with a little grunt of acknowledgement, turning around and running towards the marketplace as fast as her small legs can carry her. Mina internally sighs in relief, but remembers the squad of Fire Nation soldiers in front of her, hardening her facial features before turning to them once more.

 

The one in front (he’s sporting a nasty welt on his cheek now) grins wickedly as the other firebenders approach his side, circling Mina in a way that should make her feel small, make her want to give up. But it only makes the future satisfaction of defeating them seem all the sweeter. He points at her, a bit of his own blood on his fingertip before it sizzles in flames.

 

“You’re going to regret that.”

 

-

 

“How the hell did we lose Haru?!”

 

“I don’t know!” Dahyun whispers frantically. She, Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and Sana have taken to hiding in the marketplace kitchen area while they try to come up with some idea as to where Haru could have gone. “I-I told her to check the west part of the village, near the gate, b-because it was close to the marketplace and-”

 

“Dahyun, baby, breathe,” Jeongyeon grabs Dahyun’s frantically shaking hands and holds them tightly with her own. “We’re not accusing or blaming you for anything.”

 

Jeongyeon’s words calm the girl significantly, at least enough for her to take a deep breath. As she exhales, she folds herself into Jeongyeon’s arms, the older girl holding her tight against her chest. “Sana, did you see Haru on your way back?”

 

“I wish I had,” the girl sighs guiltily. She knows it isn’t her fault either, but she can’t help but feel partially responsible for the child’s disappearance. “My only goal was to get back here so Jihyo wouldn’t worry, and now we’re  _ all _ worried about-”

 

“Jihyo!” A tiny voice shouts from behind them, four heads turning faster than they should to see little Haru padding her way into the kitchen. Sana watches Jihyo’s entire body almost sigh in relief, bending down onto her knees to scoop Haru into her arms.

 

“Thank the spirits you’re okay, little one,” Jihyo almost cries into Haru’s hair, kissing her head affectionately as she holds the girl close to her.

 

“I hit a soldier with a rock!” Haru exclaims excitedly. Jeongyeon and Sana both gasp aloud, and Jihyo looks as though her eyes might fall out of her head. “He was gonna hurt me, but that lady from the Fire Nation saved me!”

 

Sana makes eye contact with Jihyo, both of them wondering which of the firebenders saved her and exactly how she had ‘saved’ Haru. Jihyo isn’t one to assume the worst, but Sana is. Especially with one particular Fire Nation general.

 

“Where is she now, sweetie?” Jihyo asks Haru instead of voicing her opinions to Sana.

 

“Back at the gate fighting the bad guys. There’s a  _ lot _ of them,” Haru points to the direction she came from, Sana’s eyebrows lifting in surprise at her words. “Can you help me convince my mom to cut my hair short? I wanna look like that cool Fire Nation lady.”

 

Sana’s spine straightens immediately when she registers Haru’s innocent comment, knowing beyond all doubt that Mina is the one at the gate. That she’s the one fighting the Fire Nation for the village. And despite her burning hatred for the girl, she can’t help but be thankful. Thankful that despite everything, she’s still trying to prove she’s changed. Even if Sana doesn’t want to believe it.

 

“Jihyo,” Sana mutters, grabbing her swords from the wooden table within the kitchen. “Jihyo I have to go out there.”

 

“Are you insane?!” Jihyo nearly shouts as she stands, Jeongyeon and Dahyun taking Haru into their arms so they can bring her to her mother. “If you go out there, you could die!”

 

“And you’d rather me let someone else die for us?” Sana asks softly, knowing that Jihyo would never wish harm on anyone. “I won’t be alone. And despite all she’s done, I would feel guilty leaving someone out there to fend for themselves.”

 

Jihyo looks as though she’s going to argue back, but her words are swallowed harshly down her throat. She shakes her head, a long breath escaping her lips, before stepping towards Sana and kissing her with everything she can muster.

 

“If you don’t come back, I’m learning how to get into the Spirit World so I can kill you again,” Jihyo promises against her lips, kissing her once more before letting Sana rush out of the marketplace. She watches her go, a silent prayer on her lips as Sana disappears from her view.

 

“Please come back.”

 

-

 

Momo laughs as she flings another soldier up into the air, Tzuyu using the aquatic tentacles wiggling around her to pull the soldier from the air and into the river. They watch him wash away down with the current, chuckling together, before focusing on the next wave of enemies in front of them.

 

“Too bad Chaeyoung isn’t here, this fight would have been over by now,” Tzuyu comments, whipping a soldier in the face with an aquatic tentacle and giggling at how he groans in pain.

 

“I’m worried, she would never miss a fight like this. Not even if she was sick or hurt,” Momo answers, spinning her glider to deflect the fistfuls of fire the soldiers are throwing at them. Tzuyu doesn’t want to admit it, but she’s worried too. Chaeyoung and Nayeon were together before the fighting broke out, and while she doesn’t want to assume anything, Nayeon _ was _ loyal to the Fire Nation once before.

 

She prays to the spirits that her change of heart wasn’t a ruse.

 

“She’s okay,” Tzuyu grunts as she moves her body in one fluid motion, concentrating on keeping the octopus’s form. If she worries too much about Chaeyoung, she won’t be able to defend the village properly, so she pushes any dark thoughts to the back of her mind. “She has to be.”

 

-

 

MIna grunts as she struggles to keep up with the onslaught of soldiers. She doesn’t know how long she’s been fighting, only knows she’s managed to knock about five of them unconscious or hurt them enough that they could no longer put up a good fight. But still, she has seven left surrounding her, and she’s quickly losing stamina.

 

“Just give up already!” The man from before yells, sweat dripping down his face as he tries to get Mina to give in, to stop fighting, to fail.

 

She’s losing foothold, the soldiers are gaining ground in the village, getting too close to the marketplace. She can’t hold on much longer, she hates that she’s too weak, hates that she won’t see Nayeon before she’s struck down, hates that she doesn’t know if Nayeon’s okay-

 

The ringing of metal resounds through the air before a body lands in front of Mina, a sword in either hand as the mysterious person defends Mina from the soldiers. Except they aren’t mysterious, because Mina knows those swords. Has seen them in her dreams every day for the past week, has felt them pressed against her neck.

 

Sana.

 

“Time to even the odds,” Sana says simply, and it’s like Mina’s been filled with a renewed sense of vigor, having someone fight by her side. Her hands fill with flames as she stands back to back with Sana, the two of them slowly being surrounded by soldiers once more. It’s a situation she never would have anticipated, fighting alongside the woman who has sworn her hatred for her into the dead of night, but she feels nothing but thankful for her aid nonetheless.

 

“If we die, we die fighting,” Sana mutters low enough for Mina to hear, feels Mina nod against the back of her head. It’s the only words that are spoken before the two of them throw themselves at the Fire Nation militia, ready to give their last bit of energy and life for this village and the people in it.

 

-

 

“You led us all this way for us to hit a dead end?!”

 

Nayeon’s breathing, between the running through dark caves and the anxiety that she won’t reach Mina in time, is becoming more erratic as she yells. Her senses seem to dull at the thought of Mina, vision blurring with tears, but Chaeyoung is there before she can slip into her own panic, hands on her shoulders grounding her back to the present.

 

“It’s not a dead end. I promise we’ll get to them in time. You know I’m just as worried as you are,” Chaeyoung speaks slowly, her voice reeling Nayeon back in as they bring her hope once more. She swallows, breath shaky as she nods. “Will you be okay?”

 

“Yeah,” Nayeon nods, wipes at the few tears that managed to escape as the panic flooded her system, “yeah I’m good.”  She lights her fingertips with flames so that she can see Chaeyoung, eyes meeting hers as she asks, “What’s the plan?”

 

“ _ Well _ ,” Chaeyoung drags the word out thoughtfully. “I’m gonna do something crazy, and you’re gonna follow my exact command. Sound good?”

 

Nayeon looks at her as though she’s lost her mind. “No? That sounds awful?”

 

“Just trust me,” Chaeyoung grins, taking a few steps back and getting into a strong stance. “Now on the count of three, you’re going to run towards the end of this tunnel and jump, got it?”

 

“If you’re doing this just to watch me faceplant into the wall, I will not hesitate to give you another scar,” Nayeon grumbles, moving to stand beside Chaeyoung regardless of the fact. “Okay, let’s do it.”

 

“Count of three,” Chaeyoung smiles encouragingly at her as she nods, Nayeon nodding back albeit significantly more hesitant.

 

“One.. two.. three!”

 

-

 

Momo laughs happily as she lifts her staff over her head, victory coursing through her veins as she watches the last few soldiers either run or wash away down the river’s current. Tzuyu smiles at the girl beside her, her chest filled with relief that the fight has finally come to an end, that they came out on top.

 

But there’s still a nagging thought in the back of her mind.

 

“Didn’t that seem.. Too easy?” Tzuyu asks Momo, the airbender turning to her with her head tilted in confusion. “I mean, you would think that they would put up more of a fight, or send more skilled soldiers. It was as though they sent in their newest recruits. And by the river, no less, rather than the gate like they always have.”

 

“Mina  _ did _ run off earlier,” Momo notes, nodding along with Tzuyu’s thoughts. “Maybe.. Maybe the river was just a distraction.”

 

“Oh spirits, that means the village..” Tzuyu trails off, wide eyes meeting Momo’s own. “They’re in trouble!”

 

“We have to go!” Momo shouts, the two of them running towards the village urgently, but are both abruptly stopped by the deep sound of cracking earth. They look up simultaneously, the sound cracking through the air once more as a cloud of dust rains down from the southern mountain by the village gate, as though the mountain had been blown out.

 

“What on earth was  _ that? _ ” Tzuyu hears a downed soldier croak from near the river as another thud rumbles through the air, her and Momo making eye contact with matching mischievous grins on their faces.

 

“Chaeyoung.”

 

-

 

Nayeon yelps in surprise as she lands on the chunk of earth beneath her feet. Chaeyoung is beside her, cackling wildly as the two of them ride the slab of rock down the mountain towards the village gate. Nayeon can make out a handful of soldiers by the gate surrounding two people who seem to be fighting for their life.

 

She knows, beyond all doubt, that one of them is Mina.

 

“There, by the gate!” She shouts to Chaeyoung, who grins almost  _ too _ excitedly at the sight of the soldiers. Nayeon almost cannot possibly believe how reckless the girl beside her is, had it not been that she had fought her once before. But right now, she appreciates the wild enthusiasm more than anything.

 

“What do you say, wanna give them a welcoming gift?” Chaeyoung asks as her hair whips wildly in the wind, grin still on her face as they fly down the mountainside. Nayeon laughs at the implication of her words, hands filling with flames as she nods.

 

“Let’s do it.”

 

-

 

Mina can’t explain the relief that floods her system when she sees the ball of blue fire pummel the soldier in front of her in the chest.

 

She looks in the direction the flame came from, seeing Nayeon and Chaeyoung sliding down the mountain on a giant slab of earth, and almost wants to laugh at how thankful she is to see the two of them. Sana traces her vision, the other soldiers distracted by the interruption as well, and smile when she sees the earthbender.

 

“I’ve never been so happy to see that crazy little earthbender,” Sana giggles, and Mina can’t help but agree. 

 

But her eyes are trained on Nayeon.

 

And Nayeon’s eyes are trained on her.

 

And just the sight of the girl she’s stood beside for half of her life gives her the strength to power on. To fight until the end.

 

Until they go down.

 

-

 

The fight was almost laughably easy at the arrival of Nayeon and Chaeyoung. Even more so when Tzuyu and Momo arrived right behind them. It was as though they were fighting children, the Fire Nation soldiers unable keep up with the array of elements and weapons being thrown in their faces, and fell to their knees without almost any effort.

 

After a small celebration of victory, Momo and Chaeyoung took the time to gather all of the unconscious soldiers onto a broken piece of the docks, floating them down the river with the others, while Mina and Tzuyu tended to putting out any stray flames. Sana ran back to the marketplace immediately to alert the others of their success, and Nayeon stood at the village gate.

 

With the last conscious soldier kneeling at her feet, her hand clutched around the collar of his shirt.

 

“You run back to your precious Fire Lord Sozin and tell him that Admiral Im sends her regards,” she speaks lowly to him, leaning directly into his personal space as she does. “You tell him directly that as long as I am breathing, as long as I reside in this village, that he will never, and I mean  _ never _ , have it. You understand me?”

 

The soldier nods weakly, and Nayeon wants to laugh at how pathetic he looks. Instead she releases his collar from her grasp, sending him off with a wave of her hand. The soldier scampers onto his feet and runs off, like a dog with his tail between his legs.

 

“Quite the show there,” Nayeon hears from behind her, turning to see Mina standing behind her. Her arms are crossed and her face is hard set, but Nayeon can see the glint of amusement in them.

 

“Had to make my point known,” Nayeon shrugs, ignores the slight burn of the muscles in her shoulder. Mina rolls her eyes, smile finally cracking on her lips as she does, and quickly makes her way forward. Nayeon meets her half way, the two of them wrapping each other up in one another’s arms.

 

“I thought I had lost you,” Mina voice cracks as she whispers against her hair.

 

“I thought I would never make it to you in time,” Nayeon confesses, the hand holding the small of Mina’s back slowly tracing circles against her skin. Mina chuckles, Nayeon can hear the wetness in it, knows the other girl is crying. Holds her tighter against her, whispers words of comfort against her hair.

 

“It’s okay,” Nayeon hums, Mina nodding in the crook of her neck. “We’re okay.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops it's been over a month since i've updated this

Time passes quietly, and while all are thankful for the lack of Fire Nation soldiers, there is still the creeping anxiety that resides within them. The lingering question of when they will return, and with what strength will they bring upon their arrival. Gonghan, despite this underlying fear, continues to rebuild and grow and prosper under their protectors, both new and old. Mina and Nayeon are given a much warmer embrace after the battle, the villagers having seen firsthand how willing they were to fight and die to protect them. 

 

Mina herself understands that, despite having fought alongside her, the air between her and Sana will remain cold. Knows that one act of kindness and selflessness will not make up for the lifetime of pain she had caused the older girl. And yet despite this, she knows a part of her will still try to make it up to her, the pain she caused. Knows she may never earn forgiveness but will still try anyways.

 

But that was a thought for a different day.

 

Right now, her mind is occupied by the tall waterbender standing beside her along the riverbend, words filling the air but not demanding an answer as she explains what they’ll be doing together. Mina shakes her head of the battle long since fought to turn her attention to Tzuyu, finally absorbing what she says.

 

“The world is stuck in its own ignorance when it comes to bending,” Tzuyu’s words register in her mind, the taller girl grabbing a stick from the ground and stepping away from Mina, leaving a space between them in the sand. “Its people believe that all of the elements are separated, a sort of ‘to each their own’ mentality. They fail to realize how their ignorance hurts them.”

 

Mina watches as Tzuyu draws the element of fire, and shudders slightly at the reminder of the Fire Nation, of the life she once lead. “Fire is the element of power. The Fire Nation knows this, knows they have the energy and drive to achieve their aspirations through desire and will.” Next, Tzuyu draws the element of earth above the element of fire. “Earth is the element of substance. The Earth Kingdom is diverse and strong, and while their persistence is mistaken for stubbornness, they are prone to endure whatever comes their way.”

 

Mina isn’t quite sure where Tzuyu is going with this, but she stays silent as the waterbender draws the element of air beside the element of fire. “Air is the element of freedom. Through detaching themselves from worldly concerns, the air nomads find peace through that freedom.” Lastly, Tzuyu draws the element of water, completing the square of elements. “Lastly, water. The element of change. My people are capable of adapting to whatever is thrown at us. We are tied together by our community, by our love, and it holds us together no matter what happens.”

 

The look on Mina’s face must convey her confusion, because Tzuyu chuckles before continuing. “People that see the elements are separate entities are foolish, and there is an importance in drawing wisdom from  _ all _ of the elements and their people. The constant usage of knowledge from only one place is foolish and creates these rifts between the nations, like the one that causes the Fire Nation to believe they are superior because of their power.”

 

“So, you’re telling me that if I take knowledge from different nations, different places than just the one I was born into, I can become a better bender?” Mina asks slowly. It’s ironic, considering she and Nayeon are two of the most powerful firebenders from the Fire Nation, yet Tzuyu stands here telling her she can still become better. Granted, she knows there’s always room for improvement, but this thought process intrigues Mina.

 

“Not only a better bender, but a better person as a whole,” Tzuyu chuckles. “This is why the Avatar is so powerful. He or she possess the power of all four elements, knowledge of all four nations, and it makes him a better peacekeeper and defender simultaneously. But without him, we  _ all _ need this knowledge more than ever.”

 

Mina nods in agreement, breathing slow as she looks out over the calm waters of the river once more. “Are you going to teach me waterbending techniques then?”

 

“No, I’m going to teach you to accept change,” Tzuyu hums, gently settles down on the sandy shore of the river. Mina’s brow furrows in confusion but she follows her lead nonetheless, mirroring the pose of meditation Tzuyu settles into. “Your life has changed so much in the last two months, and with everything going on, you have yet to accept that change.”

 

“I don’t know what-”

 

“I can tell there is some history between you and Sana,” Tzuyu cuts her off softly, rendering Mina speechless. She had told no one about the encounter with the older girl, not even Nayeon, yet Tzuyu somehow knows something happened. “The battle was a clear sign. I could see the struggle in Sana’s eyes, caught between celebrating a victory and almost mourning a loss.”

 

“I..” Mina trails off, doesn’t know if she should say what had happened in the past. She’s afraid; afraid of the judgement Tzuyu might bestow upon her, afraid of losing everything she had strived to achieve in the short time she’s been in Gonghan, afraid of losing her new friends. 

 

But there’s something in Tzuyu’s eyes. Some sort of force that demands honesty yet gives no judgement, a force that quietly pleads for Mina to bare her soul yet does not demand it of her. It’s that force that allows Mina’s walls to fall, for her shoulders to sag with a shuddering breath, for the truth to spill from her lips.

 

“When I was new to the Fire Nation militia, I was taken on a mission to a small village between the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. A village from our own nation harboring benders and non-benders alike trying to flee, trying to escape to a safer, better life,” Mina begins quietly. “I was too young to question orders, so I helped burn the town to the ground. So many injured, so many died, and yet I didn’t question it. Until I came face to face with a girl my age as I was about to burn down her home.”

 

Tzuyu stays silent, her face betraying no emotion she may feel as she listens intently. “That was the first moment in my life I had doubted the motive of the Fire Nation, looking into that girl’s eyes. And those same eyes made me doubt myself and my own motives a month ago, when they stared through me with tears burning them and a sword against my throat.”

 

Tzuyu hums, nods once both as acknowledgement and a sign to continue. Mina swallows her emotions down, tries her best to continue telling her story with a clear and concise mind. “She had every right to approach me, and I’m glad that she did but.. Sana is a constant reminder of who I used to be in a place where I’m trying to become who I  _ want _ to be.”

 

Tzuyu hums yet says nothing on the topic, something that Mina both appreciates and somewhat despises. While Mina would prefer a slice of knowledge on such a touchy subject, Tzuyu moves on before she can even ask.

 

“And what about your history with Nayeon?”

 

_ This _ catches Mina off guard entirely.

 

“W-What do you mean?” She asks quietly, inwardly curses herself for stuttering. Tzuyu only smiles, kindness and understanding radiating off of her like waves off of a rock dropped in water.

 

“No one would throw away everything they’ve ever known, especially when they’ve done nothing wrong, for the sake of someone who is just a friend.”

 

Mina’s cheeks flush a deep red at the waterbender’s words. Rather than answering immediately, she plays with the sand beside her legs, tries to find something to grab hold of and ground her but the grains slip effortlessly through her fingers. A nervous breath passes her lips, thoughts she’s been trying to ignore for years flooding her brain, and she knows that this is the only opportunity she will have to voice them.

 

Being best friends with the woman you’re in love with doesn’t offer that kind of opportunity, especially when she had always been Mina’s only friend.

 

“She and I fought side by side for five years. When we were promoted to different branches of the Fire Nation militia it.. It hurt. Hurt both of us more than it should have. But we knew it was what we wanted; to be at the top, to be the best of the best. We just..” Mina trails off, doesn’t register the tears in her eyes until she feels them fall onto her cheek. “We didn’t realize it wouldn’t be together.”

 

“Does she know?” Tzuyu asks softly. Mina merely shakes her head.

 

“No. No she doesn’t.” Wipes the wetness from her eyes and cheeks. Sniffles sharply. “And she never will.”

 

“Maybe she should, Mina,” Tzuyu’s voice is almost a whisper, and Mina appreciates the quietness as she speaks words that shake her to her core. “You’ve escaped the Fire Nation together, fought them together, survived  _ together _ . You’re safe in Gongahn, safer than you ever were in the military. There’s no more perfect opportunity than to tell her now.”

 

Mina stays still, stays silent, as she lets the idea process through her brain. When she doesn’t respond, Tzuyu adds, “And besides, with how dangerous this war is becoming, wouldn’t you rather be with her should the worst come to fruition?”

 

That sole thought causes Mina to see the reality of everything around them. Tzuyu is right, this war is tearing the world apart. And despite how she’s never been more afraid of anything in her life, she knows she would rather try and tell Nayeon the truth. At least if she meets her end, she won’t die with regrets.

 

“Thank you, Tzuyu. I won’t forget this.”

 

“Neither will I,” Tzuyu smiles, rises to her feet. “Come on,  _ now _ I’ll begin teaching you waterbending techniques.”

 

-

 

Nayeon grunts as a rock slams into her, the sound of jubilant laughter following close behind. She brushes the dirt from her shoulder, ignores the pain in her muscles as she stands, facing her current source of irritation. Chaeyoung stands across the mountain clearing, grinning mischievously as she slams her foot against the ground, a large rock sprouting from the earth and circling around her almost protectively.

 

“Come on, Nayeon. We both know you’re better than this!” She taunts, knowing it will rile the former admiral up beyond belief. The jest nearly works, but Nayeon is doing everything in her absolute power to keep her cool, to stay centered and grounded, to avoid repeating history.

 

She and Chaeyoung have not fought since their first encounter, and Nayeon hates that she can see the scar curling around Chaeyoung’s shoulder and neck in the sleeveless shirt she’s wearing. Hates that she put it there, still can’t bring herself to forgive herself no matter how long they’ve known one another.

 

Chaeyoung must notice her hesitation, lets the rock hovering around her fall with a loud thud against the ground before walking towards the firebender. Nayeon’s head hangs low, does not want Chaeyoung to look into her eyes and see the guilt swimming in them.

 

“Hey, look at me,” Chaeyoung prompts softly, earning only a soft shake of Nayeon’s head. Her mind runs with memories, flashes of the look on the earthbender’s face after she had hurt her playing behind her eyes, and she’s just trying to calm down before looking at the younger girl.

 

Chaeyoung has other ideas in mind, takes Nayeon’s hand and lifts it to her shoulder, hovering just over the scar there. Nayeon panics, lifts her eyes to meet Chaeyoung’s, but the younger girl does not look upset, nor does she seem irritated by the firebender’s overflowing anxiety. Merely looks at her with soft eyes, a request hidden within them for Nayeon to listen, to hear out her words.

 

“Trust me, yeah?” Chaeyoung asks, and Nayeon can only comply. The things they’ve shared within the last month; happiness, worries, fears, secrets. Chaeyoung has never once asked for anything from the older girl, and Nayeon knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could trust the girl in front of her with her life.

 

Such an abrupt shift since their first meeting, but Nayeon can’t possibly be grateful enough for the earthbender.

 

Slowly, Chaeyoung settles Nayeon’s hand against the scar, and Nayeon can’t help how she holds her breath. Her fingers graze the skin there and she gasps, tears unwillingly filling her eyes. 

 

It’s foolish, if she’s honest with herself, how surprised she is at the feel of Chaeyoung’s burn. She has her own scar as well. But it somehow feels.. worse than her own. Deep down, she knows it is. Knows her blue fire burns hotter than Mina’s or even the Fire Lord’s. So her fingers graze the skin, silent apologies on the tip of her tongue as she reaches the juncture between Chaeyoung’s shoulder and neck, where the flame had first impacted.

 

She hates herself for doing this to someone she calls a friend now.

 

“Why.. why are you having me do this?” Nayeon whispers, praying to the Spirits that her tears will stay at bay if she does not use her voice.

 

“Because it’s there. What happened has passed, Nayeon. No matter how much you regret it, no matter how many times I tell you I’ve forgiven you, it will remain there,” Chaeyoung stares deeply into Nayeon’s eyes as she continues. 

 

“You can’t let your past mistakes hold you back or they will cause new ones, so let them become a reminder to do better. Mine reminds me of what I fight for,” Chaeyoung says softly, and Nayeon nearly flinches when she feels the younger girl touch the burn on her own shoulder. “Yours reminds you of what you left behind.”

 

Nayeon lets out a huff of laughter at her words, wipes the sole tear that fell onto her cheek with her spare hand. “We match.” Chaeyoung smirks at her realization, rubs Nayeon’s shoulder comfortingly as she shrugs, feigning nonchalance.

 

“I told you we’re the coolest benders in town.”

 

Nayeon laughs despite wanting to cry mere moments ago, causing Chaeyoung’s smile to grow as well. Instead of falling back a few steps, Nayeon uses her grip on the earthbender’s shoulder to pull the girl into her embrace, the two of them hugging for the first time. Chaeyoung giggle’s against her shoulder but follows her movements, the two of them standing there for a small moment, ignoring everything but their growing bond.

 

“Thank you, Chaeyoung.”

 

“Don’t get sappy on me, hot head,” Chaeyoung teases as she pulls away, grinning toothily as she gets herself into a ready position. Nayeon rolls her eyes at the comment but readies herself as well, the two moving like a well oiled machine now that Nayeon can stop being afraid of hurting her.

 

“If we’re being honest,” Nayeon grunts after a few minutes of exercise, tossing a fireball towards the younger girl and watching her raise a wall of rock to deflect it. “I didn’t think I even deserved to stay here, let alone befriend you.”

 

“Well I’m glad you  _ did _ ,” Chaeyoung’s words are accented by a powerful kick as she launches the top part of the rock wall she created at Nayeon, the older girl leaping out of its trajectory. “And don’t say that you don’t deserve it. People constantly delude themselves with thinking that they don’t deserve things.”

 

“What do you mean?” Nayeon huffs out as she lands, narrowly dodging the chunk of earth hurtled at her. Chaeyoung stops fighting for a brief moment, the two of them catching their breath as she speaks.

 

“If we’re being honest, no one really deserves anything,” Chaeyoung begins, echoing Nayeon’s earlier words. “Did you deserve to be an admiral? Does Grandma Yoo deserve the respect she’s given? Did you deserve to become an amazing firebender? Absolutely not.” Nayeon tilts her head in confusion as her lungs stop burning, and the earthbender continues.

 

“You  _ earned _ your admiral status, Grandma Yoo  _ earned  _ the respect she’s given. You trained hard to  _ earn  _ your skill. And now? You’ve earned both your place in Gongahn and your place beside us defending the village. No one just deserves to have something good, they have to work hard for it.”

 

“That’s..” Nayeon trails off, letting Chaeyoung’s words sink deep into her heart and mind. “I’ve never thought of it that way before.”

 

“This is why you need me. You’re hopeless,” Chaeyoung teases, stomping onto the ground and procuring another large rock from the earth beneath her feet. “Is this why you haven’t made a move on Mina? Because you think you don’t deserve her?”

 

Nayeon is so caught off guard by the younger girl’s question that she just barely moves out of the way of the rock flying towards her face. “Excuse me,  _ what? _ ”

 

“You heard me,” Chaeyoung giggles, shouting in shock as she leaps clean over a fireball thrown her way. “Hey! Don’t hurt me for asking the real questions here!”

 

“I just-” Nayeon cuts herself off with a strangled sound, grasping at her head to try and ground her thoughts. What on earth was Chaeyoung suggesting, that Nayeon has.. feelings? For  _ Mina? _ Her oldest and most important friend? That’s.. That’s impossible.

 

Right?

 

“Nayeon, you nearly broke through the mountain yourself to get to Mina during the fight with the Fire Nation,” Chaeyoung explains when she realizes Nayeon is stunned silent. “You couldn’t leave the Fire Nation without her, you always worry about her and put her first. You can’t stop staring when she smiles, and I can see how in pain you are when she’s hurting. Someone would have to be blind to not see how you feel for her, and in turn how she feels for you.”

 

“You think.. You think she likes me?” Nayeon’s voice is quiet and unsure, still trying to swallow down her heart that rests in her throat. She had never really thought about Mina in this way before, but the more she listens to the younger girl speak the more terrified she feels because Chaeyoung is  _ right _ .

 

“She looks at you like you’re the strongest person she knows,” Chaeyoung shrugs, plopping down on a cliff edge and motioning for the firebender to join her.

 

“But don’t Tzuyu and Momo both look at you like that, too? And vice versa?” Nayeon asks curiously as she sits down beside her, confusion flooding her chest when she hears the earthbender giggle almost cockily.

 

“They’re my girlfriends, hot head. I’d be offended if they didn’t look at me the same way that I look at them,” Chaeyoung says with a warm smile, her smile turning into amused laughter at the look of pure disbelief on Nayeon’s face. The firebender can’t believe she didn’t notice it before, how fiercely the three of them fight for one another, how happy they always look together, the stolen glances and casual affection.

 

“Wow, I really _am_ slow,” Nayeon mutters, earning another round of laughter from the earthbender beside her.

 

“Can’t tell I’m dating Momo and Tzuyu, can’t tell you love Mina, you really are,” Chaeyoung teases.

 

“Hey, no one said anything about love.”

 

“But you  _ do _ like her.”

 

Nayeon pouts like a petulant child, because she hates being wrong and she’s just been having a terrible time trying to be right in the last hour with Chaeyoung here. The younger girl puts her hand on Nayeon’s shoulder, rubbing comfortingly but in almost a pitiful manner, and Nayeon grumbles half heartedly as she pretends to try and shake her hand off.

 

“Just talk to Mina. As scary as it seems I can  _ promise _ that you’ve gone through worse,” Chaeyoung smiles, that same comforting, gentle smile from before, and rises to her feet. “Now come on, this fight needs to get good so I can beat you a second time.”

 

Nayeon rolls her eyes playfully but stands nonetheless. No matter how good of a fight she puts up, she’s constantly distracted by thoughts of Mina and her smile, her laughter. She can only pray to the Spirits that Chaeyoung is right about them, and focuses on putting her all into winning their intense rematch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> make sure to follow me on twitter @ tigermochaeyu :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> probably one of my favorite chapters not gonna lie, it basically wrote itself. it's also very hastily proofread so that i could leave school before midnight lmao
> 
> without further ado: an entire minayeon chapter that could easily be a standalone oneshot
> 
> i hope you all enjoy <3

_ Mina knew, even at the age of 14, that it wouldn’t be easy joining the military. Between her lithe physique and a past that continues to haunt her, she knew she would be an easy target for others. Knew people would go out of their way to put her down and give her a hard time for trying to join. But she had to do this, to make a name for herself that isn’t involved with her family and their sinister acts. No matter how hard it would get, no matter what people threw at her, she would stay strong. Would remain the bigger person until the very end. _

 

_ But even her patience could be tested. _

 

_ “Get up, rich girl!” A fellow trainee, Katsu, sneered at her as he continued to push her against the ground. Mina’s uniform was covered in dust as Katsu and a few other trainees continued pressing her down again and again, no doubt trying to get her to lose her cool so that she would attack them. They had been trying for weeks to get Mina thrown out of the academy, and if she lost her patience, they would succeed. _

 

_ They had been finding the right buttons to press to irritate her, and continued pressing them daily. Like poking a sabertooth moose lion with a stick with the sole purpose of making it angry and attack. _

 

_ “Why don’t you just go home and cry to mommy, huh?” Another trainee, Hema, had butt in, taunting her with the family she was trying so desperately to forget, to leave behind. “They got you into the academy anyways, didn’t they? No doubt they’ll solve all your problems now.” _

 

_ It wasn’t true. Mina put herself into the academy. Ran away from home with the sole purpose of joining the military, to become her own person outside of the Myoui name. But hearing that made her blood run hot, filling her with the rage she had so desperately tried to keep bottled up. But she held back, stayed on the ground and breathed deeply, tried to center herself once more- _

 

_ “Don’t be ridiculous Hema,” Katsu had laughed loudly, cutting off Mina’s train of thought. “If anything, the Myoui’s would get their dirty work done with their  _ slaves- _ ” _

 

_ The bottle shattered, and Mina was on her way to rising onto her feet, to blasting Katsu through the gut with her hardest punch and hottest fire, when a voice had called out and stopped her in her tracks completely. _

 

_ “What on earth is going on here?” A voice, female and loud and strong, had called out. Everyone stopped, turning to look at the Fire Nation soldier approaching them in full armor. Granted, the soldier was no more than a grunt, but as trainees they were taught to respect any and all soldiers, especially those that rank higher than them. _

 

_ “We were just playing around ma’am,” Hema had put on her most innocent face, tone dripping with honey as she tried to make the soldier believe they weren’t harassing Mina. The soldier, however, had seen right through it, shaking her head in disapproval as she stopped right in front of them. Mina remained on the ground, too afraid to look the soldier in the eye. _

 

_ “Fire Nation soldiers are taught to respect one another, so that when on the field of battle, we  _ protect _ one another. How would your superior feel if I told him that you were harming your own trainees?” _

 

_ “She started it!” Katsu had pointed at Mina childishly, automatically trying to throw her to the wolves. Mina said nothing, just curled further into herself and tried not to draw anymore attention to herself. The other trainees nodded in agreement, and Mina was mentally preparing to pack her bags and roam the Fire Nation as a homeless nomad. Anything but going home. _

 

_ The soldier, however, shook her head once more, tutting as she looked to the trainees. “One girl as smart as her would not attack five other trainees on her own. Lying won’t get you anywhere in the military either. Now go, before I tell Sozin himself that his trainees are incompetent buffoons.” _

 

_ The trainees ran off in a hurry, leaving Mina alone on the ground with the soldier. Mina had half expected the soldier to just walk away, but her view of the ground was soon obscured by a pair of legs, and the soldier had squatted down in front of her. _

 

_ “Hey,” her voice was soft, gentle, much different than it had been moments before. Mina couldn’t help it, looked up to see the soldier holding her helmet in her hands, and her eyes raised further to the soldier’s face and- _

 

_ Wow. _

 

_ “Are you okay?” The girl had asked, and Mina couldn’t deny that her answer was delayed because of how distracted she was by the girl. She wasn’t much older than Mina, eyes kind and soft, front two teeth just barely showing from between her lips. She was pretty, Mina knew, but there was something else there. Something important. Like the Spirits had meant for this to happen. _

 

_ “Y-Yeah,” Mina nodded, relaxing slightly under the other girl’s gaze despite how intimidated she felt by her status. The girl smiled, and Mina’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. The soldier stood, extended her hand out for Mina to take, and heaved her up onto her feet. “T-Thank you.” _

 

_ “I’ve seen you around, watched you train,” The soldier admitted almost shyly despite the confidence in her voice. “It would be a shame if a few degenerates caused us to lose such potential.” The air between them had quieted for a moment, and Mina doesn’t realize they were still holding hands until the soldier’s hand had slipped from her own. “Im Nayeon, Fire Nation private.” _

 

_ “Myoui Mina, trainee,” Mina introduced herself hesitantly, afraid her name would cause the soldier to abandon her like everyone else had. Instead, Nayeon had smiled, slipped her helmet onto her head, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. _

 

_ “I expect to see you in the ranks, Myoui,” Nayeon’s smile was infectious, and Mina couldn’t help the small smile that grew on her face as she nodded. They had bowed respectfully to one another, and Nayeon turned to leave, but not without a small wave over her shoulder. _

 

_ It was the first time Mina hadn’t minded being called by her family name. _

 

-

 

_ Nayeon’s foot tapped impatiently against the ground, eyes scanning the military camp in a way that was too desperate for someone who was usually so composed. She knew she should be there, and while she had a nagging feeling that the girl might have forgotten who she was, she prayed to the Spirits that she hadn’t. _

 

_ “Good evening, Lieutenant Im.” _

 

_ Nayeon’s breath hitched quietly. The voice,  _ her _ voice, coming from behind her had caused her to forget everything she had wanted to say, caused it to fly out of her head, leaving her speechless. Instead, she turned, and let herself look at the girl she hadn’t seen in two years. _

 

_ Mina looked amazing in an official Fire Nation uniform. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, and just from standing in her presence Nayeon could tell that she had changed. For the better, no doubt. Her face looked fuller, her eyes softer, less afraid. Her smile, however, hadn’t changed a bit. Still small and shy, a small flush on her cheeks at the sight of Nayeon nearly gaping at her. _

 

_ Nayeon had so many things she had wanted to say to her. She wanted to tell her that she had looked over every training report over the last two years to observe her constant success, wanted to tell her that she had kept a close eye on the injury reports to make sure she was never hurt, wanted to tell her she actually did get those delinquent trainees kicked out of the academy for her. _

 

_ Wanted to tell her how pretty she looked with her hair up. _

 

_ Her mouth and her mind, however, did not seem to want to cooperate that day, and as she looked over the newly graduated soldier she said, “So, you’re finally catching up, huh?” _

 

_ Mina, to her credit, had not missed a beat. Instead of feeling offended by Nayeon’s jest, she had smirked, easily replying, “Maybe you’re just slowing down.” _

 

_ Nayeon had laughed, loud and heartily, smiling brightly at the girl she had been silently watching over for the last two years, and gently pulled Mina into her embrace. They hugged, the first of many they would share with one another, and allowed themselves to feel like two friends reuniting after years, and not just two soldiers. _

 

_ Nayeon would never admit how good it felt. _

 

-

 

_ Mina held down her smile as Firelord Sozin stood in front of the crowd, giving a speech about the greatness of the Fire Nation and how his soldiers were showing that legacy to the world. She felt Nayeon nudge her side, looking in her peripherals and knowing that the girl beside her was smirking under her helmet. _

 

_ She linked their pinky fingers silently, a gesture they had come to use as a silent means of support. Nayeon squeezed their fingers a bit tighter, returning the gesture wholeheartedly, before they returned to standing perfectly in their formation. _

 

_ The two had spent the last three years almost entirely side by side. Where one went, the other had followed. Not even on their own accord, but the Fire Nation’s as well. Their superiors knew that they were most powerful and successful when they were together, knew that separating them would be foolish for their strength. They had been reassigned from the army to the navy together, and today they would move together once again. _

 

_ “Captain Im and Captain Myoui, please step forward,” Firelord Sozin called out to the crowd, the two girls moving together silently through the mass of soldiers, arriving at the front and bowing respectfully to their Firelord. _

 

_ He had given another speech, one Mina won’t deny that she hadn’t listened to a word to. Merely looked past him and at Nayeon as they stood face to face, could see her eyes shining through her helmet, the support and pride radiating in them as they awaited their promotion. The crowd roared with cheers as Firelord Sozin presented them with their new ranks, both rising to Colonel together as they were reassigned to the army once more.  _

 

_ They had spent most of the next hour being congratulated by colleagues and superiors alike, praised for their quick rise in the ranks due to their tenacity and vigor. Mina was surprised herself, thought it would take years before she was ever promoted from Private status. Yet here they are, merely a few years in the military together and they’ve risen almost entirely to the top together. _

 

_ Once the excitement had died down, the two of them had walked side by side to their shared bunker, helmets held against their hips and smiles unwavering on their faces. Nayeon had done a terrible impersonation of the Firelord’s speech, since apparently neither of them were listening, and Mina couldn’t stop laughing at the older girl’s foolishness. _

 

_ “Can you believe we’re here?” Nayeon breathed out after a few moments of silence, smile smaller but still there on her face. Mina tilted her head slightly, a silent gesture for the older girl to continue. “Just.. the two of us. Here, rising in the ranks of the military together, always by each other’s sides. It’s unreal.” _

 

_ Mina smiled at the unfiltered awe written across Nayeon’s face, couldn’t help the way her heart beat just a bit harder in her chest. She had written of the feeling as mutual excitement, and merely smirked when Nayeon’s eyes met hers. _

 

_ “You’d be ahead of me if you would stop slowing down.” _

 

_ Nayeon nearly tackled her to the ground. _

 

-

 

_ Nayeon couldn’t believe it. _

 

_ Five years since she had graduated into the Fire Nation military, five long and stressful years of fighting to prove herself to the world as not the homeless degenerate she once was, but as a powerful soldier. Five long years, and her fighting had finally,  _ finally _ paid off. _

 

_ Mina couldn’t believe it. _

 

_ Three years since she had graduated into the Fire Nation military, three long and stressful years of fighting to prove herself to the world as not the rich and sinister Myoui she once was, but as a powerful soldier. Three long years, and her fighting had finally,  _ finally _ paid off. _

 

_ They had done it. They had risen through the ranks together, fought together, cried together, celebrated together, hurt together. And they had finally gotten what they wanted. They had topped the ranks together, like they had been trying to do ever since day one. _

 

_ But at what cost? _

 

_ They sat together, huddled on Mina’s bed since it was the lower bunk, trying to wrap their heads around what had just transpired at the ceremony. They were told they were going to be promoted, but weren’t made aware of the titles they would be adopting. It wasn’t until they were standing in front of the Firelord once more that they were told, and they could physically see the shock and pain in the other’s eyes. _

 

_ “What do we do now?” Mina had muttered quietly, fear and insecurity crawling up her throat as she spoke, threatening to make the tears building in her eyes spill over. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, and as much as she wished she could be hugging Nayeon, it would have felt too much like a celebration. And this was nothing but a loss _

_. _

_ They should be happy. So why do they feel so empty? _

 

_ “I.. I don’t know, MIna,” Nayeon replied, leaning her forearms against her knees over the side of the bed. Her head rested in her hands, trying desperately to think of a way around their current situation. She had always solved every issue they had, and it made her feel helpless that she couldn’t solve this one. _

 

_ They were no longer Colonel Im and Colonel Myoui. As of today, they were Admiral Im and General Myoui. They had reached the top, but didn’t realize that reaching the top meant that they would be separated. _

 

_ “I don’t think I can do this without you,” Mina’s voice cracked, more vulnerable than Nayeon had ever heard the younger girl before. She lifted her head to look at the other girl, heart breaking at the tears slowly streaming down her cheeks. Nayeon pushed aside her own pain and crawled back into the bunk, scooped Mina into her arms and let the girl finally break. Her sobs were quieted by Nayeon’s shoulder, and Nayeon couldn’t hold back her own tears as well. _

 

_ Mina gripped desperately at Nayeon’s tunic, praying to the Spirits that this was just a bad dream. That she would wake up tomorrow and they wouldn’t be sent to opposite sides of the Fire Nation, that they would stay by each other’s sides forever like they had planned. But she knew it was delusional thinking, and decided she would at least cherish her last night with Nayeon as much as she could. _

 

_ “Stay with me, at least for tonight,” she whimpered desperately into the crook of Nayeon’s neck. _

 

_ Nayeon wouldn’t have left her side that night, even if she had wanted to. _

 

-

 

_ “Urgent message for you, Admiral.” _

 

_ Nayeon grunted in acknowledgement, the soldier setting the scroll on her desk before bowing respectfully and leaving the cabin. Nayeon sighed softly, looking out on the waters from the top of the ship’s conning tower. _

 

_ Over a year and half has passed since she had last seen Mina, and she couldn’t deny how the pain grew with each passing day. She knew the general was doing well, thanks to the pile of open letters from the girl on her desk, but words on paper weren’t as comforting as a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her. _

 

_ She had missed working alongside Mina, missed the power they exuded together, missed how revered the two of them were together throughout the military. Granted, she was still revered throughout the military on her own, but it was never the same. _

 

_ She shook her head of her nostalgic thoughts and turned back to her desk, grabbing the scroll and noting curiously the Firelord insignia holding its contents together. She removed the insignia, opened the scroll, and read halfheartedly. _

 

_ Until she saw the name of one General Myoui. _

 

_ Upon a more careful reading, she had discovered that the Firelord had been dealing with an issue in the northwestern tip of the Earth Kingdom rather unsuccessfully. Due to their expertise and their ability to solve any kind of problem swiftly, FIrelord Sozin himself had requested the presence of both General Myoui and Admiral Im at the palace, so that they could be briefed properly on the issue. _

 

_ Nayeon had nearly dropped the scroll onto the floor. _

 

_ She would be reunited with Mina, and they would get to fight alongside each other once more. _

 

_ “Commander Takumi!” _

 

_ Hurried footsteps approached her cabin before Takumi stood in her doorway, bowing respectfully as he asked, “Yes, Admiral Im?” _

 

_ “Set a course for the Fire Nation capital,” Nayeon spoke lowly, nearly failing to mask her excitement. “The Firelord has requested my presence.” _

 

-

 

_ “Do you both understand the importance of this mission?” _

 

_ “Yes, Firelord Sozin,” Mina and Nayeon had spoken in unison, bowing their heads as they replied. He smiled kindly at their constant respect and bowed to them as well, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. They turned obediently, walking out of the fiery throne room in step with one another. They remained poised and professional until the large doors had been shut behind them, until they walked down the hallway away from the throne room, until they exited the palace, until no one could see them. _

 

_ Once assured that no prying eyes were trained on them, they relaxed, and Mina yelped in shock as she felt a body collide with her own, arms wrapping desperately around her shoulders, and she couldn’t help but melt into the embrace. Slipped her arms around Nayeon’s waist, held her tightly against her, tried to make up for the last two years they had spent apart. _

 

_ They had not had the opportunity to greet one another before ushered urgently to the throne room, where they spoke strategy with Sozin until their brains had hurt. But now, they finally had a moment to themselves, and they took it without hesitation. _

 

_ “I’ve missed you so much,” Nayeon breathed against the skin of Mina’s neck. Mina could feel the goosebumps on her skin where her breath had hit, no doubt the excitement of seeing her friend of nearly eight years once again affecting her body. _

 

_ “I can’t believe this is happening,” Mina had nearly laughed, stepping back and holding Nayeon at bay by her shoulders to look her over. “You look great, Nayeon. Two years at sea has done you well.” _

 

_ “Not as well as two years in command of your own army has done you,” Nayeon teased. Mina shoved her back playfully by her grip on her shoulder. It was almost healing, being in each other’s presence once again, and Mina couldn’t help but wish childishly that they wouldn’t be separated again. _

 

_ “Come on, we have an ‘important mission’ to attend to,” Nayeon had quietly mocked the Firelord’s deep voice, making Mina laugh once more. Just a few moments with the older girl and she had laughed more in that moment than she had in two years. The two had head down to the docks side by side once again, boarding Nayeon’s ship and heading towards Gongahn Village, intent on carrying out the Firelord’s orders no matter what it took. _

 

-

 

It had taken a lot of courage, and a lot of pushing from Chaeyoung, but Nayeon finally brought herself to stand at the door of her and Mina’s shared home. Her breathing is a bit shaky, her nerves buzzing under her skin as she thought of what she was about to do. She’s risen and dropped her hand nearly three times, thought about turning around and whining to Chaeyoung that she’s pathetic, but she can’t bring herself to move from in front of the door.

 

With a quiet groan, Nayeon rolls her eyes and taps her knuckles twice against the door, opening it slowly as she calls out, “Mina?”

 

“In here,” Mina’s voice comes from inside, and Nayeon breathes out a small breath of relief as she enters their home, closing the door quietly behind her. She turns to look at Mina, cursing herself for being so weak for Mina’s high ponytail even after all these years. The younger girl looks at her with soft, expectant eyes, and Nayeon somehow feels comforted, somehow knows that Mina is aware of what’s going on.

 

“Are you okay?” Mina asks curiously, face illuminated by the small fire lighting their home, along with the gentle light of the setting sun. Nayeon hates that a few words from the smaller earthbender has changed her entire perspective of her best friend, but she knows it would have happened either way now that she understands her own feelings.

 

“Yeah! Yeah I’m okay, I’m..” Nayeon’s faux enthusiasm trails off, eyes falling from Mina’s face to the ground, sighing softly in disappointment. “I don’t know what I’m doing, Mina.”

 

Despite everything Nayeon had thought would happen in that moment, Mina smiles at her. The same smile she had been directing at Nayeon for years; small, shy, a slight flush to her cheeks. The same smile Nayeon’s been staring at with a warm chest for years. She turns towards her, giving Nayeon her full attention, a breathy laugh leaving her lips. “I don’t know what I’m doing either.”

 

Nayeon holds her breath as Mina steps closer, slowly but sure of herself. “But that’s okay, to not know what we’re doing.” The older girl is slightly taken aback, because Mina is so assured and that can only mean one thing.

 

“You know,” Nayeon breathes out as Mina comes to stand in front of her. The younger girl nods, and Nayeon panics because she  _ knows _ . She’s probably  _ always  _ known too, and Nayeon wants to feel bad that she didn’t know sooner. 

 

Mina must sense her panic, steps into her space and gently cups her cheeks like she had after Sozin had branded her a failure. It’s the exact same gesture, Mina’s forehead touching her own as she mutters quiet words to bring Nayeon back to earth, but it feels like so much  _ more _ now. So much more intimate, more meaningful.

 

“What do we do now?” Nayeon asks, voice shaking and quiet, echoing the same question Mina had asked her all those years ago when they had been separated. They aren’t being pried apart this time, but this single moment is going to affect their relationship all the same.

 

There’s a slight hesitation on Mina’s part, and Nayeon doesn’t register her movement, but the feeling of soft lips pressed against the tip of her nose pulls her out of her own head. They’re soft, so impossibly soft that Nayeon can’t help the small gasp that she breathes out. Her heart thumps desperately against her ribcage, and her mind hyper focuses on the idea of Mina’s lips pressed against her own. Wonders if it would be just as soft.

 

“I don’t know,” Mina breathes out, but it’s not sad or desperate, not submitting to the inevitable like it was years ago. It’s almost.. hopeful, as though there is finally a light at the end of a dark tunnel. And that light is Mina’s soft smile, Mina’s arms around her. Mina, Mina,  _ Mina _ .

 

It’s always been Mina.

 

“But,” Mina’s voice breaks through her thoughts, and Nayeon’s eyes finally lift to meet the younger girl’s own. She hadn’t realized just how close they were standing until now, and she can feel her throat dry with nerves. “I can’t do this without you.”

 

Nayeon’s chest flutters at the raw honesty in Mina’s words, written on her face, and she knows without a doubt that this is what their lives have been leading to. All of the shared memories, all of the happiness and pain, the years of separation. This was meant to happen, and like Nayeon had always thought, they were meant to be together. Just not exactly how she had expected.

 

It’s this revelation that causes her to take a step closer to Mina, her shaking hands finding purchase on the younger girl’s waist. Mina smiles softly, hands cupping Nayeon’s cheeks once more, and the two of them stand there as one, quietly preparing for what is to come once they take this step.

 

Surprisingly, it’s Nayeon who breaks the silence.

 

“Mina I..” she trails off, tongue darting out to wet her lips as her eyes flicker between Mina’s eyes and her lips. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

 

Mina nods subtly, pressing their foreheads together as gently as possible. “Okay.”

 

Their lips touch, and Nayeon notes that she was right. Mina’s lips are just as soft against her own.

 

Despite how much anticipation had been building in Nayeon’s chest, the kiss is almost natural. Like they had done this before. And maybe that’s why it’s so perfect. She can feel her heart leaping in her chest, but it doesn’t make her movements urgent. She just holds onto Mina tighter, lets the younger girl lead them, falls even deeper into her.

 

Their kiss is short lived, but Nayeon can’t possibly complain when she pulls back and opens her eyes, only to see Mina’s blinding gummy smile as she giggles, face flushed deeply. Nayeon can’t help but smile either, because her chest feels so light and full simultaneously and Mina is here and Mina loves her too.

 

“I’m sorry it took me so long to catch up,” Nayeon apologizes quietly, because how long could they have been doing this if she had realized her feelings sooner? How long could they have been happy together if she had just thought outside her feelings of friendship for the younger girl? But the ‘what if’s don’t matter now, because they had still made it here. They’re still here,  _ together _ , despite everything the world has throw at them.

 

Mina’s smile widens and she leans in to press another gentle kiss to Nayeon’s lips, a failed attempt since they both cannot contain their smiles. She pulls back, eyes shimmering with joy and love as she looks at the older girl, and small smirk tugs at her lips as she shrugs nonchalantly.

 

“Maybe I’m just slowing down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yell at me on twitter @ tigermochaeyu


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like to get into the same mindset I was in while writing this chapter, I listened to the songs Fresh Air from The Legend of Korra, Aang Faces Ozai, and The Last Agni Kai from Avatar the Last Airbender. If there are any mistakes I blame galaxylove because she proofread for me.
> 
> Have fun :)

Chaeyoung sits atop her home overlooking the prospering village, eyes watching the horizon tentatively for any disturbances, yet finding none no matter how hard she searches. The nearby river trickles calmly, the sound reaching her ears and setting a gentle mood for the early morning sunrise and every sunrise to come. Her mind had awoken her early, not allowing her to sleep through the night like she had been for the last few months.

 

The candlelight in the neighboring home has long since been extinguished, and Chaeyoung momentarily allows her mind to wander, wondering where the two firebenders have gone off to today. With the sun peeking over the horizon, she deems it late enough for her to go out looking for one of them.

 

Finding the scuffs of footprints in the dirt, she follows them up the nearby cliffside, allowing the crisp morning air to fill and refresh her lungs as she climbs. The sun creates a beautiful hue against the sky, one that will soon paint the green leaves on the trees golden in its rays of light, and the sky’s minimal light guides the smaller girl on the correct path to take.

 

It isn’t long before she finds her, Nayeon, standing atop a plateau along the mountainside. Chaeyoung says nothing, continuing to approach in a quiet and respectful manner until she’s stood beside her. Nayeon looks at her from the corner of her eye, but nothing is said, the pair merely staring at the remaining night within the twilight sky.

 

“It’s getting closer,” Nayeon hums quietly, pointing at the small white streak in the dimly lit sky. Chaeyoung follows her finger, stomach swirling uncomfortably at how visible the comet has become within the last few days. “It’s only a matter of time before it arrives.”

 

“Then we need to be ready,” Chaeyoung says with as much confidence as she can muster, but it’s a hard feat to accomplish. With the arrival of the terrestrial entity known throughout the Fire Nation as the Great Comet, there’s a new edge to the fight for survival. Firebenders will have increased strength and heat to their flames, giving them an advantage even in the smallest numbers.

 

The effects are already beginning to show, in both Mina and Nayeon’s flames. How they seem larger, seemingly out of control despite knowing that the firebenders are the best at what they do. Chaeyoung feels it in her own chest too, the power that seems to weigh down on the air with each passing day.

 

It scares her, that they could be wiped out in a second if they aren’t prepared.

 

“Hey,” Nayeon’s voice pulls her from what would be her spiraling thoughts. “We’ve been preparing for this for months, training together for almost two years. Trust in all of us, yeah? They can’t hurt us if we work together.”

 

“Yeah, together,” Chaeyoung breathes out, nodding a bit too anxiously. She _does_ trust them; Mina, Nayeon, Momo, Tzuyu, even Sana. She trusts them with her life, should it be on the line. But she worries more about the village and its people, scared of how many people will die if they fail.

 

“For all we know, they won’t come,” Tzuyu’s voice makes Chaeyoung jump nearly four feet into the air. She shoots the taller girl a glare, and is only given a cheeky grin in return. Her arms slide around Chaeyoung from behind, holding her close and simultaneously calming her down as the shorter girl breathes her in and melts in her embrace. “They haven’t tried to attack us in weeks, they may have given up.”

 

“The Fire Nation doesn’t give up, unfortunately,” Nayeon grimaces at the thought of her old home. “They may be searching desperately for the Avatar, but they haven’t given up on us either.”

 

“You’d think they would actually give up on that,” Tzuyu hums thoughtfully. “Avatar Roku hasn’t been seen in nearly twelve years. They’re just wasting resources and men trying to find him or his reincarnation.”

 

“But they won’t stop until they find him,” Nayeon says quietly, her demeanor suddenly dark. Chaeyoung reaches out for the first time since she’s arrived, linking her pinky finger with Nayeon’s as a silent gesture of support. “The Avatar will have been reincarnated into the Air Nation. They’ll just keep killing the Avatar’s until he or she is reincarnated into the Fire Nation, and then they will be unstoppable.”

 

“That’s.. definitely not quelling my worries,” Chaeyoung squeaks, her voice shaking with anxiety at the thought of the Fire Nation being any more powerful than they already are. Nayeon shoots her an apologetic look, squeezing their joined pinky fingers slightly. “The point is we need to stay focused on our people and each other. Our priority lies in making sure the Fire Nation doesn’t harm Gongahn.”

 

“And we’ll do well to protect it,” Mina says quietly as she approaches from behind, Momo walking beside her. Nayeon’s pinky falls from Chaeyoung’s as she wraps her arms protectively around Mina, while Momo joins Tzuyu in holding Chaeyoung. “When the comet comes, Nayeon and I will be at our most powerful. The Fire Nation soldiers will be as well, but with all of the elements on our side we have a much higher chance of success.”

 

“See? Mina knows how to keep people from freaking out,” Chaeyoung pouts at Nayeon, the older girl sticking her tongue out childishly at the younger. The group laughs loudly at their antics, the air surrounding them lighter than it had been in what felt like months. Chaeyoung cherishes it, knows that any moment of happiness in the days to come will be rare, and allows herself to relax in this moment beside the people she trusts most.

 

-

 

Their time to prepare had been more limited than they had expected.

 

Tzuyu hears the comet before she sees it, the distant rumble in the sky as the flaming piece of rock passes the sky. Screams from the village cause her to jump up from where she had been laying beside Momo and Chaeyoung, pushing their door open with a little too much force and gasping at the sight before her.

 

The sky is a fiery red, almost like a river flowing with blood. In the distance, southwest of the village, an incredibly large plume of smoke rises from the forest, and for the first time since they’ve arrived at this village, Tzuyu genuinely feels fear at the thought of facing the Fire Nation.

 

Nayeon and Mina are out of their house just as quickly, the older of the two’s face hardening in anger at the sight of the smoke. Chaeyoung and Momo are soon right behind her, the shortest looking around at the sky before muttering, “Do you feel it, too? The comet’s power?”

 

Tzuyu wants to say no, because only firebenders should be able to feel the power of the comet if what Mina and Nayeon said is true. But the younger firebender nods, quietly responding, “I do. And so do the soldiers.” It’s a simple response, but the words are weighted with reality.

 

Today, they’ll be fighting harder than they’ve ever fought before.

 

“Nayeon and I will head towards the Fire Nation soldiers,” Mina begins commanding them, and Tzuyu can see how well she fit the title of General in moments like these. Putting aside her own fear for the sake of many. “Our bending will be just as enhanced as theirs, so we have the best chance against them.”

 

“I’m going too,” Momo interrupts, all eyes turning to her at the sound of her voice. “I can help keep the flames contained, stop them from breaking out and possibly reaching the village if they haven’t already.”

 

“Good call,” Chaeyoung nods. “Tzuyu and I will head into the village and get the people to safety. Once that’s done, we’ll regroup and push them out.”

 

Everyone nods in agreement, parting immediately. A moment after they’ve split, Tzuyu hears Momo’s voice.

 

“Stay safe, you two,” her words worrisome yet Tzuyu can still hear the smile in her tone.

 

“We should be saying that to you,” Tzuyu smirks at the older girl, watching as she changes directions to run towards them, watches as she pulls the two of them into a hug.

 

“I love you both,” she hums, leans back to press her lips to Chaeyoung’s and then Tzuyu’s. The two younger girls place simultaneous kisses to her cheeks and send her off, the airbender smirking as she leaps into the air and flies off with her glider.

 

“Come on, our people need us,” Chaeyoung says after a few moments, nudging Tzuyu so that she stops looking towards where Momo went and starts looking towards their destination. The taller girl nods in agreement, and the two beginning running as fast as their bodies can manage towards Gongahn.

 

They find Sana in the streets, swords slung across her back as she ushers families across the village and towards the large cave Chaeyoung had dug out into the mountainside for this day. Her eyes sparkle with hope when she sees the two of them approach, and she lets the mother beside her know where to go before turning towards them.

 

“The soldiers are barely a stone’s throw away,” Sana’s words are grim but the girl has yet to lose confidence. “Save for the handful of people behind me, everyone made it to the cave safely.”

 

“Why haven’t they gone yet?” Tzuyu finds herself asking before even looking at who is behind her. There’s a few men, some young and some old, and-

 

And Jihyo, Dahyun, and Jeongyeon are there as well.

 

“They refuse to leave, want to help in any way they can in this fight,” Sana shrugs. “As much as I’d love for them to be out of harm’s way, _especially_ Jihyo, they’re here to help.”

 

Despite the feeling of unease settled between them, Chaeyoung nods, pointing a finger towards the river. “Have them gather as much water as they can into pots, bowls, I don’t care. The more water we have if the village sets on fire, and the more water we have for Tzuyu to fight with, the better.”

 

“On it, boss,” Dahyun grins, giving the two benders a mock salute with her fingers before running off with Jeongyeon, Jihyo, and the rest towards the river. Sana grabs Jihyo before she can get to far, planting a firm kiss to her lips, and muttering, “Please get out if it gets too heated.”

 

“Of course,” Jihyo whispers back, kissing her on the lips once more before running off towards the others. Sana watches her go for a moment before turning to Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, slowly unsheathing her swords and spinning them in her hands.

 

“Before we go, I have an idea.”

 

-

 

There’s a part of Momo that breaks at the destruction laid out before her.

 

From her glider she can see what the Fire Nation has done, the flames rising as the consume more and more trees in their path. What’s worse is the flames emitting from the Fire Nation soldiers’ hands; volatile and hot, bigger than anything Momo has ever seen before. For a brief moment she’s afraid that they’ve lost before they even began.

 

But then a flash of blue appears in her peripherals, a flash that becomes a full blown blaze as Nayeon reaches the Fire Nation soldiers and gives them a taste of her true power. Nayeon’s strength in firebending outmatches the strength of the soldiers almost tenfold, but she’s fighting too many at once. Even she alone couldn’t take out twenty, maybe thirty men without help.

 

She isn’t alone, though. Mina appears right beside her, her orange flames mixing so beautifully with Nayeon’s as they fight like a well oiled machine. Momo knows they’ll be okay for the time being without her, and steers her glider towards the flames in the forest, intent on putting the fires out before they cause any more damage.

 

Using her glider, she creates a whirlwind to overpower the flames, directing them back towards the Fire Nation soldiers while putting out as many fires as possible. With luck, pressing them between the flames of the forest and the flames of Nayeon and Mina will force them into a corner.

 

“Momo!” She hears from behind her, turning to see Sana approaching swiftly. The older girl does not stop what she’s doing but turns slightly towards the other, letting her know she has her full attention. “Push the soldiers towards the mountain! Chaeyoung and Tzuyu have a surprise for them!”

 

Nodding once as a sign of understanding, Momo changes the direction of her whirlwind, noticing that Nayeon and Mina had gotten the message as well. The two had circled around the soldiers and are now pushing them towards the mountain just like Momo is. The airbender smirks with satisfaction, spinning her glider that much faster at the sight of possible victory.

 

Momo leaps out from behind the remaining flames once near the mountain, extinguishing them with a mere flick of her wrist as she, Mina, and Nayeon corner the soldiers against the mountainside. Granted, it’s not much easier now that they’re all together, Momo has to jump back and forth anxiously to avoid being seared by their flames, but it isn’t long until she hears one of her favorite voices.

 

“Get back!” Chaeyoung yells, the three girls looking up just in time to see the earthbender grunt loudly and push a dangerous amount of rock down the side of the mountain. Mina and Nayeon’s eyes widen as the rush backwards, Momo opens her glider and leaps into the air, and the soldiers all run in panic as the rocks begin crumbling down upon them.

 

The surprise tactic works well enough, taking out a good chunk of the soldiers beneath the earth, but the remaining soldiers press on, pushing Mina and Nayeon towards the entrance to the village with their incredibly powerful flames.

 

Momo flies urgently towards the back of the group to create a diversion, just enough for Mina and Nayeon to regain their footing once more. But the moment her feet touch the ground, she feels something deep within her break open. Something she didn’t know was even there.

 

Her chest concaves, a pain deriving straight from her heart rending her almost immobile. But what’s worse is the pain in her spirit, almost as though it had been ripped away from her. Her spiritual energy weakens with each passing moment, and she can hear agonizing screams in her ears coming from what feels like thousands of people. It’s too much; the pain, the shock, the deafening yells. She can’t help it as she falls to her knees, screaming with the people in her ears.

 

The last thing she sees are the nearest Fire Nation soldiers turning around towards her.

 

Then everything goes black.

 

-

 

Chaeyoung hears it from atop the mountain.

 

Her body moves on its own at the sight of Momo collapsed onto the ground, at the sight of the Fire Nation soldiers inching towards her. She can hear Tzuyu call out to her but it’s useless, Chaeyoung’s entire being is focused on the girl she loves on the ground. She can see Mina and Nayeon fighting for their lives north of her, sweat building on their faces as the unbearable heat from the soldiers’ flames inches closer and closer.

 

But her only priority is Momo.

 

She flings a rock at the soldier nearest to the airbender as she sprints towards them, knocking him back a good ten feet onto his back. The other soldiers stand at attention once they notice her, hands filling with flames as she gets closer, and closer.

 

She leaps over Momo as she approaches, a rage she’s never known filling her every vein as she stares down each one of the men trying to hurt her, trying to hurt their village, all over some stupid lie the Fire Lord had fed them. A yell rips its way out of her lungs, her body tumbling forward as she lands on the ground.

 

“Leave her _alone!_ ” She yells, slamming her fists against the ground with the intent of utilizing the earth to throw all of them back in one fell swoop. But it isn’t earth that emerges from her hands.

 

A heat she didn’t know could exist emits from her hands, the ground in front of her melting into boiling earth and rushing forwards towards the soldiers. Their eyes widen in panic, as well as her own, as they run backwards into their fellow comrades in an effort to escape the magma hastily creeping across the ground towards them.

 

Their panicked screams distract the soldiers at the forefront fighting Mina and Nayeon, giving the two firebenders the chance to get the upper hand once more. Mina grins wickedly as she stands straight, Chaeyoung watching in awe as she begins to bend not fire, but lightning.

 

“I suggest you all find a direction to run!” Nayeon cackles, Chaeyoung understanding her jest as a command. She taps into the part of her that came alive under the red sky of the Great Comet and into her earthbending, combining the two to bend the lava between her and the soldiers around the enemies, effectively trapping them.

 

“Do us a favor, and never return here. Not just you, but any Fire Nation soldier. Next time, you won’t be so lucky,” Nayeon’s voice rings out, and Mina stops her flow of lightning in exchange for filling her hands with flames. The remaining soldiers shake in their boots as they nod, Chaeyoung cooling down the magma on the ground just enough for them to run over yet still burn their feet as their run for their lives back to their precious Fire Lord.

 

Chaeyoung allows herself to celebrate the victory for just a moment before turning around, scrambling against the dirt to grab Momo and hold her desperately in her arms. The girl is still unconscious, and the earthbender can’t help but fear the worst.

 

“Momo? Momo!” She shouts, feeling the tears well up in her eyes before Momo shoots up into a sitting position, gasping desperately for breath. Chaeyoung feels relief fill her chest, her tears falling in relief and not in pain as she grabs the older girl and pulls her tightly against her chest.

 

“I thought we lost you,” she says shakily against her neck, Momo’s arms wrapping limply around her forearm. Chaeyoung pulls back, sees the tears and the distant look in the airbender’s eyes, and feels the worry fill her chest once more. “What happened back there?”

 

“They.. they’re gone..” Momo mutters weakly, eyes flickering everywhere and nowhere at once. Nayeon, Mina, and Tzuyu all approach quietly, doing their best not to crowd the airbender but not knowing what on earth is going on. Chaeyoung merely waits, feels Momo’s pain in her own chest as the girl meets her eyes. “The airbenders, all of them, they.. they’re _gone_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yell at me on twitter @ tigermochaeyu


	10. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is it! the final chapter of a story that was supposed to be just a simple oneshot! thank you all for staying on this journey with me and i hope you enjoy

The battle was won, but at a cost none could possibly comprehend.

 

Chaeyoung and Tzuyu struggle desperately with getting Momo from the battlefield to their home. Thankfully, due to their battle strategy, none of the fire had spread to Gongahn. Once the villagers emerged from the cave, they set to work on gathering water and putting out the remaining flames in the forest themselves, all of them intent on making sure the benders returned Momo to safety.

 

It was a moment Nayeon could never forget, how the people put the benders before themselves. Knowing how tough the battle must have been and wanting them to recover instead of using all of their strength to help secure the village touched the firebender more than it should have.

 

The five of them make it to Momo, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu’s home with a bit of difficulty, as carrying a nearly inconsolable Momo up the mountainside was easier said than done. As soon as they made it indoors and placed the airbender in bed, Tzuyu crawled in next to her and wrapped herself around the girl, knowing that her presence would create a sense of safety for Momo.

 

“How could the Fire Nation do this?!” Chaeyoung asks, starting to fume as she paces back and forth. Nayeon wants to reach out and calm her down but she knows the action would be useless, especially when she herself is just as enraged by the actions taken by the Fire Nation. She looks to Mina for some sort of comfort, but only sees guilt shimmering with the tears in her eyes.

 

“Mina,” Nayeon says gently, doesn’t want the girl to think she’s attacking her. “What do you know?”

 

“I..” Mina’s voice trails off, turns around as she tries to gather her thoughts. “I had heard of a plan in passing some three years ago. Sozin had mentioned the arrival of a great comet, wanted to use it to show the world the power that the Fire Nation holds.” Her shoulders are shaking now as she tries to keep her emotions at bay. “The Air Nation was only mentioned in passing, and I had thought it was just something about their peaceful ways contradicting the Fire Nation’s strength, but..”

 

“Mina,” Tzuyu’s voice calls out softly, the now crying girl turning to face the waterbender. Momo has calmed considerably in her arms, eyes still unfocused and bleary, but it’s obvious she was listening. “Mina, whatever happened today is not your fault. Whether you had known or not, there is no way the five of us could have saved an entire nation.”

 

“But we could have told someone or-”

 

“You’re Fire Nation,” Chaeyoung’s voice breaks through the firebender’s words, creating an air of tension between the five of them. “No matter what good you mean to do, there’s little chance anyone would have listened.”

 

Mina nods solemnly, and Nayeon hates that Chaeyoung’s words are right. The air feels uncomfortably thin within the four walls of their home, and Nayeon wants nothing more than to go back to the Fire Nation and give Sozin a piece of her mind, but a quiet voice stops her thoughts from spiraling to a place that even she doesn’t want to go.

 

“I’m not upset with either of you, so please don’t think I am,” Momo’s voice breaks as she speaks, so quiet it’s nearly a whisper as it reaches Nayeon’s ears. Mina nods softly, breathing a soft breath of relief that their friend does not despise them for the action of their past home. “Thank you for protecting the village, and for protecting me from the soldiers.”

 

“We’ll lay our lives down for you. All of us would,” Nayeon states clearly, the other girls in the room nodding eagerly in agreement. “And until you’re ready to stand on your own again, we’re all here to support you, even when you stumble.”

 

“Thank you,” Momo whispers, tears falling onto her cheeks. She snuggles against Tzuyu’s chest as though trying to bury herself against the girl, and it’s clear that the conversation has reached its end. Mina and Nayeon share a look, the older firebender looking to Chaeyoung and saying, “We’ll be in our home if you need anything. Don’t hesitate to ask.”

 

They walk outside, barely making it two steps from the door, when Chaeyoung emerges from the home behind them as well.

 

“Did uh.. did either of you know about me being able to.. you know.. do that?” She asks quietly, clearly referring to the way she had melted the earth beneath her hands during their fight with the Fire Nation. Nayeon shakes her head, because she truly had no idea the concept was even possible. But Mina, however, nods slowly.

 

“You had mentioned you could feel the comet’s power before we went off into battle,” Mina answers quietly. “Only firebenders could feel such an energy from a source like that, so to me it made sense for you to have some sort of ability within triggered by the comet’s power.”

 

Chaeyoung nods, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she is probably one of the only, if not the first, earthbender that can melt earth into magma. Nayeon places a comforting hand on the earthbender’s shoulder, the girl looking up with big eyes and asking, “Do you think you guys could teach me some breathing exercises you use for firebending? So I can learn to control this ability?”

 

Nayeon smiles kindly at her. At the girl she once despised for causing her failure, now turned her closest friend and ally. At the girl who helped her see her love for Mina. She can only nod, because there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for the smaller girl beside her.

 

“Of course we will.”

 

Chaeyoung’s smile is bright against the red sky, pressing forward to wrap her arms around Nayeon and Mina’s waist. “Thank you for staying,” she mutters against their shoulder, and the words are weighted with so much more history and meaning than they should be. She pulls back, smile still in tact, and gestures to her own home.

 

“I’m gonna go help take care of my girl. You take care of yours, okay?”

 

“I will,” Nayeon and Mina both say at the same time, the two looking at one another and giggling slightly at their similar response. The two firebenders give a small wave to Chaeyoung as she disappears into her own home, hearts feeling light despite the destruction the world has been thrown into.

 

Mina is the first to head towards their home, pulling Nayeon along with her by the hand.

 

-

 

“I’m telling you, there’s  _ something _ . I can  _ feel _ it.”

 

Chaeyoung looks worriedly at Momo as she meditates along the riverbank, Tzuyu giving her the same stare from where she’s practicing her bending in the water. It had been months since the Great Comet came and brought with it the beginning of a war that shook the masses with fear. Months since the eradication of the Air Nation. While Gongahn remains safe and untouched by the Fire Nation, they still fear what could come to their home at any moment.

 

“Momo,” Tzuyu’s voice is as gentle as the current she’s standing in. “You said it yourself. The airbenders are all gone. There’s no way-”

 

“No this is  _ real _ ,” Momo insists as her eyes open, relaxing her posture as she stops meditating. She’s been doing it for months, first to reconnect herself to her own spirit and the Spirit World, then constantly in search of any surviving airbenders in the world. It’s been exhausting her more often than not, which is why Chaeyoung and Tzuyu are worried she might be feeling something that isn’t there.

 

But the sheer determination and belief in her eyes leads Chaeyoung to believe she may have actually found something, even if it might be the exhaustion speaking.

 

“I swear I’m not lying and I’m  _ not _ crazy,” Momo insists, and Tzuyu nods supportively at her words.

 

“Okay, we believe you,” the waterbender says gently, emerging from the river to sit down beside Momo, Chaeyoung joining them a moment later. Tzuyu reaches for Momo’s hand, the earthbender doing the same, a small gesture that shows they’re here for her no matter what. “Tell us what you felt.”

 

“I’m not entirely sure what it is, but there’s  _ something  _ out there, coming from the sea between the Southern Air Temple and the Southern Water Tribe,” Momo explains quietly, as if trying to wrap her own head around it. “It hasn’t moved in days, so I’m not sure if it’s a person or what, but the spiritual energy it’s emitting is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before.”

 

Tzuyu nods once, assuring Momo she doesn’t think she’s crazy while Chaeyoung tries to think about what it is that Momo could be feeling. It isn’t until a thought strikes her like a rock to the head that she realizes what it is the airbender might be feeling.

 

“Momo,” Chaeyoung calls for the airbender’s attention. “If Avatar Roku died, then the Avatar would have been born into the Air Nation. Right?” Momo nods in agreement, trying to see where Chaeyoung is going with this. “And if the Fire Nation killed the airbenders, wouldn’t the Avatar have been killed and cycled into the Water Tribes?”

 

“Well, yeah. The Avatar Cycle follows a clear order through the elements.”

 

“Do you think that maybe what you’re feeling when you reach out to that spot in the ocean could be the Avatar?” Chaeyoung asks tentatively, watching as Momo’s eyes widen in realization. She lets go of her and Tzuyu’s hands, positioning herself to meditate once more, and the two girls watch as she reaches out further and further into the world with her spirit.

 

“Spirits, I think you’re right,” Momo breathes out, her voice almost shaking with relief. Her eyes open, and for a moment Chaeyoung is worried at the sight of tears building within them. But Momo smiles as the tears fall, grasping onto Chaeyoung and Tzuyu’s hands once more. “You.. you’re right! I’m not the last airbender!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for reading this story. i'll admit i had a lot of fun writing this despite how long it became (don't tell galaxylove) and i'm glad i explored the possibility of this au instead of just making it a oneshot. if it feels like not everything is resolved it's because it's not supposed to be, this is merely a canon compliant prequel to the Avatar the Last Airbender series and i tried my best to convey it as such. regardless, thank you all so much for the support and the comments and everything. i love you all so much more than you realize.
> 
> until next time,
> 
> katie
> 
> @tigermochaeyu


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